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1000 results for “Valon_Blue”
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Finally got Mina's #Embark results back. She's a mutt, but she's my mutt.
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[ Altano ]
Pendante ... elen
dum liberatempo,Supren bluĉielo
super nubmaroSuben kovrita
la tutan valon,Panoramo sunteraso
ŝvebas ... pendante.~kantilevero~
\eZ
#miksang #dailypic #aphotoaday
#Esperanto #photography #photo
#winter #snow #ski #skibum #alpine #alps #mountains #valley #cloudy #cloud #clouds #seaofclouds #seaofcloud #above #aboveclouds #bluesky #clearsky #clearskies #fluids #fluiddynamics #inversion #inversionlayer #dewpoint #panorama #terrace
#hangingout
#cantilever -
Testailin hieman vastikään Unitystä Godot:lle portatun Road to Vostokin demoa ja olin todella vaikuttunut sen teknisestä toteutuksesta ja tunnelmasta. Halusin tietää porttauksesta ja pelistä enemmän, joten pyysin soolodeviä, Antti Leinosta, avaamaan prosessiin liittyviä muuttujia. Keskustelimme pelimoottoreista, tunnelman luonnista ja mitä suomalaiseen hardcore-selviytymiskokemukseen kuuluu.
SuomiGameHUB: Nimestä ja ehkä vähän settinginkin puolesta Road to Vostokista tulee S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-pelit mieleen ja realistinen ammuskelu vie ajatukset Operation Flashpointeihin. Huomaan, että nimenomaan realismiin on haluttu panostaa. Mistä ajatus tähän peliin lähti ja mistä olet ottanut vaikutteita siihen?
Antti Leinonen: Koko projektin ja peli-idean inspiraatio kumpuaa aika pitkälti omasta lapsuudenkaupungista Haminasta, joka sijaitsee Kaakkois-Suomessa, melko lähellä Suomen ja Venäjän rajaa. Silloin nuoruudessa tämän alueen läpi kulki tie nimeltä VT7, joka johti lännestä itään, ja tästä tulee myös pelin nimi “Tie itään” eli Road to Vostok.
Tämä “Kaakonkulma” Suomessa on melko otollinen paikka selviytymispelille, koska siellä sijaitsee sotahistoriallisesti aika uniikkeja kohteita kuten Salpalinjaa, korsuja ja hylättyjä rintamamiestaloja. Tähän alueeseen kun sitoo vielä omat kokemukset Puolustusvoimista, niin varusmiehenä kuin upseerina, ja kaikkea mitä on harjoitellut tuolla rajaseudulla, niin saadaan tämä kokonaisvisio peliä varten.
Vaikutteita toki tulee myös muista peleistä, kuten S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-sarjasta ja hieman mystisestä Zone-ideologiasta. DayZ, Project Zomboid, Escape from Tarkov ovat myös pelejä, joissa on paljon hyviä elementtejä, mitkä haluan myös tuoda tähän projektiin.
SGH: Unityn syksyisen asennusmaksuepisodin jälkeen varmaan monilla kehittäjillä on ollut mielessä, että pitäisikö siirtyä Godot:n käyttöön, mutta päässä voi olla kysymyksiä Godot:n rajoituksista ja mahdollisuuksista. Oliko sinulla välittömästi ajatus siitä, että sen Unityn korvaajan täytyy olla Godot, vai oliko se vaikea päätös? Entä onko se vastannut odotuksia, eli tuntuuko että olet saanut tehtyä sillä kaiken vaatimallasi laadulla?
Antti: Pelimoottorit ovat sinäänsä vain työkaluja, joita kehittäjät käyttävät. Hyvä pelimoottori ei tee huonosta kehittäjästä taitavaa, eikä huono pelimoottori tee taitavasta kehittäjästä huonoa. Pelimoottorin valinnassa olennaista on se, mitä natiiveja työkaluja se tarjoaa, ja kuinka helppo sitä on kustoimoida juuri tietyn projektin tarpeisiin. Toki tietyillä pelimoottoreilla on omat rajoituksensa, mutta harva kehittäjä vain tyytyy näihin natiiviominaisuuksiin, vaan pelimoottoria lähetään räätälöimään oman projektin tarpeisiin sitä mukaan kun projekti etenee.
Godot ei suoranaisesti ole Unity korvaaja, eikä sen tarvitse sitä olla, mutta se tarjoaa avoimen lähdekoodin alustan, joka tuo tiettyä turvallisuutta, mitä itse arvostan kehittäjänä nykypäivänä todella paljon kaupallisiin pelimoottoreihin verrattuna.
Itse päätös tämän porttauksen osalta oli kieltämättä vähän haastava, koska siinä on paljon pelissä, ja kyseessä ei ole mikään yhden yön temppu. Vajaa taustatutkimus moottorista ja sen rajoituksista voi helposti johtaa tiettyyn umpikujaan ja epäonnistuneeseen porttaukseen, mikä sitten taas johtaa aikataulullisiin ja myös taloudellisiin haasteisiin.
Onneksi omalta osalta tämä porttaus meni kuitenkin juuri niin kuin suunnittelin ja taustatutkimus minkä tein tämän avoimen lähdekoodin moottorin osalta oli selkeästi riittävä. Moottori on vastannut odotuksia ja itsellä on riittänyt hyvin taidot paikata niitä moottorin ongelmia, jotka ovat haastellisia tämän tyyliselle projektille.
SGH: Ymmärrän mitä tarkoitat. Olen nähnyt aika paljon sitä, että pienempiä pelejä tehdään suoraan esimerkiksi Unreal Enginen blueprint-systeemillä ja tarvetta moottorin mukauttamiselle ei edes synny. Tällaisessa isommassa pelissä voin kuitenkin hyvin nähdä sen, kuinka moottori toimii vain etumatkana kehitykseen. Minua kiinnostaisi, että mitkä asiat ovat Road to Vostokissa vaatineet erityisen paljon räätälöintiä, mitä tällaisten yleiskäyttöisempien moottoreiden valmistajat eivät ole priorisoineet.
Antti: Ainakin voin mainita että engine-kehityksen osalta 3D-peleissä on huomattavasti suurempi kynnys verratuna 2D-peleihin koska yhden syvyysakselin lisääminen renderöintiin muuttaa lähes kaiken optimoinnin näkökulmasta.
Näissä 3D-moottoreissa yksi olennainen kysymys on ns. render loopin aika, eli kauanko millisekunteina moottorilla menee käsitellä koko pelikamerassa näkyvä sisältö, ennen kuin seuraava kuva voidaan pirtää. Tämä prosessi pitää sisällään aika monta eri vaihetta, mitkä pitää teknisesti ymmärtää (ainakin pintapuolisesti), jotta saa käsityksen siitä kuinka tehokkaasti moottori pystyy perus-3D-grafiikkaa näytölle piirtämään. Tämä sitten määrittää sen, kuinka paljon artistilla tai kehittäjällä on “renderöintibudjettia” tehdä kaikkia pelinkehityksen hienouksia tämän perus render loopin päälle, tai kuinka paljon optimointityötä on edessä omaan peli-ideaan nähden.
Voin todeta, että kaupallisilla pelimoottoreilla on aika hyvin hallussa tämän perus-render-loopin optimointi ja engine tekee automaattisesti paljon asioita, mistä kehittäjän ei tarvitse murehtia lainkaan, eli toisin sanoen kaupalliset pelimoottorit ovat melko aloittelijaystävällisiä. Sitten taas open-source moottoreilla joutuu tällä hetkellä tekemään vielä aika paljon custom-ominaisuuksia ja ymmärtämään näitä renderöinnin solmukohtia, jotta pääsee optimoinnissa samalle tasolle, kun sitä automatiikkaa ei ole niin paljon käytössä vielä.
SGH: Olen ymmärtänyt, että suorituskyky on sinulle tärkeää. Huomasin sen myös pelissä, että performace-moodissa vanhemmallakin näytönohjaimella päästiin 60 fps:ään. Onko jotain nokkelia paikkoja, missä suorituskykyä saadaan tällaisessa pelissä buustattua näille budjettikoneille, vai pyöriikö kaikki enemmän asioiden piilottamisen ja mappien resoluutioiden koon ympärillä?
Antti: Optimointitekniikat riippuvat täysin peli-ideasta ja pelikarttojen koostumuksesta. Usein avainasemassa on profiloida renderöintiä, minkä avulla pystyy katsomaan hierarkisesti mihin renderöinnin millisekuntteja oikeasti kuluu. Hyvä kehittäjä osaa sitten priorisoida optimointia sinne missä sitä tarvitaan eniten.
Tyypillisesti raskain asia moderneissa 3D-peleissä on luontoelementit, kuten puut ja ruoho, sekä materiaalien sisältämien shadereiden monimutkaisuus (eng. shader complexity). Jossain kartoissa voi olla että pelkät puut syövät yli 50% koko renderöintibudjetista. Tällöin kannattaa keskittyä nimenomaan puuassettien optimointiin, eikä säästellä joidenkin yksittäisten proppien geometriaa, mikä ei tuota mitään merkittävää hyötyä suorituskyvyn kannalta.
Yhtä oikeaa vastausta ei tähän ole, vaan kyseessä on täysin projektispesifi ongelma, ja ainut tapa päättää oikeita optimointitekniikoita on ymmärtää missä optimointitarve oikeasti on.
SGH: Nyt kun mainitsit nuo assetit, niin kuinka suuren osan olet tehnyt niistä itse? Jo ensimmäisessä demossakin oli valtava määrä aseita, rakennuksia, luontoa ja niistä taloistakin oli saatu hyvin uniikin näköisiä teksturoinneilla. Tuntuu hurjalta, että yhdellä kehittäjällä olisi tunteja päivässä tehdä kaikki tämä.
Antti: Varmaan noin 90% on tehty itse. Muutamia luontoassetteja ja asemalleja on kauppapaikoilta ostettu, mutta muutoin kaikki on omaa tuotantoa tai ulkoistettu alihankkijoiden kautta.
Mikäli yrittää tehdä jossain määrin uniikkia Suomiteemaista peliä ja ylläpitää visuaalisesti yhtenäistä ilmettä, niin ei oikeastaan ole hirveämmin vaihtoehtoja kuin tehdä itse, tai sitten pitää hyväksyä että pelistä voi tulla hieman “tilkkutäkki”, jos on assetteja sieltä täältä.
SGH: Pelisuunnittelun kannalta tällaiset hardcore-pelit ovat hyvin kiinnostava genre, koska niiden pitää opettaa pelaajille niin paljon asioita, jotka eivät ole tyypillisiä muissa peleissä. Miten olet itse vastannut tähän haasteeseen, että saadaan peliin ankara selviytymisfiilis ilman että pelistä tulee turhauttavan rankaiseva?
Antti: Pelisuunnitelun kannalta on ehkä keskeistä ymmärtää, että ollaanko suunnittelemassa peliä isoille massoille (eng. mass market appeal), vai jollekin tietylle kohderyhmälle. Tämä projekti on nimenomaan kohdistettu pelaajille ja henkilöille, ketkä tykkäävät hardcore-selviytymismekaniikoista, ja eivät halua “kädestä pitämistä” kaikkien ominaisuuksien osalta.
Omasta mielestä on täysin hyväksyttävää, että peli on välillä turhauttava ja ankara. Nykypäivänä on ehkä opittu mobiilipuolelta liikaa, että avustetaan, autetaan ja helpotetaan, jotta pelin yleinen saavutettavuus paranee. PC-puolella on vielä onneksi näitä asiakas- ja pelaajaryhmiä, joita tämä ei kiinnosta, ja se on nimenomaan minne tämän projektin pelisuunnittelua ohjataan.
Mitä tulee näihin hardcore-pelimekaniikkoihin, niin yleensä ainut looginen tapa simuloida esim. kuolemanpelkoa videopeleissä on täysi progression menettäminen (esim. DayZ). Tämän tyylissä peleissä, jotka sisältävät permadeath elementtejä, tämä ankaruus on itse asiassa juuri se jutun juoni. Ilman progression menettämisen pelkoa peli voi muuttua helposti “juostaan ja ammutaan”-räiskintäpeliksi.
Toki kaikessa pelisuunnittelussa on aina omat tasapainotusmurheensa. Tässäkin pelissä on ns. rauhallinen alue nimeltä Area 05 ja sitten on permadeath alue nimeltä Vostok. Itsellä on tavoitteena, että annetaan enemmin pelaajalle paljon karttoja ja alueita, joista hän voi itse muodostaa oman turhautumisriskinsä, eli mitään pakkoa näille permadeath alueille ei muodostu, vaan kyseessä on täysin pelaajalähtöinen valinta.
SGH: Totta! Oikeanlainen turhauttava voi olla todella koukuttavaa. Tuo tuntemusten simulointi on todella kiinnostava aihe, kun pelaajan tuntemusten ja pelihahmon tuntemusten välillä on niin suuri epäjatkumo. Pelaaja haluaa nälkää tuntiessaan syödä jotain, mutta ei pysty tuntemaan hahmon nälkää, joten se on pakko havainnollistaa esimerkiksi numerolla. Onko sinulla tullut tämän projektin aikana vastaan kohtia, joissa jonkin tuntemuksen simulointi on aiheuttanut erityisiä haasteita tai olisi kenties vienyt gameplayta nimenomaan väärällä tavalla turhauttavaan suuntaan?
Antti: Rehellisesti sanottuna vielä näitä juttuja ei olla edes paljon päästy testailemaan, koska pääpaino tuotannon alkuvaiheessa on ollut perusmekaniikkojen rakentamisessa. Pelisuunnitteluun päästään syventymään yleensä vasta siinä vaiheessa, kun alkaa hahmottumaan ns. game loop ja pääsee näkemään / pelitestaamaan sitä peli-ideaa ensimmäistä kertaa. Tätä ennen on hieman haastavaa yrittää tehdä johtopäätelmiä, kun kyseessä on jatkuvasti kehittyvä alusta.
Tämän projektin osalta nämä kysymykset tulevat ajankohtaisesti Public Demo 2 jälkeen, jonka kautta pääsee ensimmäistä kertaa kokemaan sitä alustaa ja peli-ideaa jonka ympärille pelin koukuttavuus on tarkoitus rakentaa.
Se mitä tulee immersion rikkomiseen tai pelisuunnitelun haasteisiin, niin yleensä paras tapa hioa näitä yksinkertaisesti pelitestata ja ottaa ulkopuolista palautetta, koska kehittäjä on yleensä aika sokea omille tuotoksille. Tässä toki on tasapainottelua sen suhteen, että liikaa ei myöskään voi kumarella sinne ja tänne palautteen osalta, vaan alkuperäinen visio pitää pystyä säilyttämään.
SGH: Suomessa on tullu viime vuosina paljon kauhupelejä, jotka vaativat tietynlaisen valaistuksen ollakseen vaikuttavia. Myös Road to Vostokissa yöt ovat todella klaustrofobisia ja jopa pelottavia, mutta tämän lisäksi peli luo mahtavaa tunnelmaa monilla muillakin päivänajoilla ja sääoloilla. Tunnelmassa valaistus on todella tärkeä tekijä, mutta sen tekemisestä ei puhuta kovin paljoa. Mikä on ollut sinun prosessi valaistuksen valmistamiseen, jotta olet saanut sen toimimaan näin tehokkaasti?
Antti: Itseasiassa valaistus on vielä aika lapsen kengissä tämän projektin osalta, mutta mukava kuulla silti, että se nyt näin varhaisessa vaiheessa jo herättää positiivisia mielipiteitä.
Valaistuksen suunnitelussa ehkä olennaisinta on tunnelman ja visuaalisen vaihtuvuuden luominen. Jos miettii Suomea valaistuksen suhteen, niin meillä on aika radikaalisti poikkeavia valaistusolosuhteita, kun ottaa huomioon erityispiirteet, mitä pohjoismaihin ja esimerkiksi talveen liittyy.
Valaistuksen tekemisessä on paljon manuaalista värisovittelua ja ns. parametrikikkailua, jotta eri ympäristöelementit saadaan yhdistettyä visuaalisesti hyvin. En koe olevani erityisen taitava kehittäjä valaistuksen suhteen, mutta ymmärrän ne perusperiaatteet, mitä realistiseen valaistukseen kuuluu. Monesti myös peleissä monet valaistustemput on täysin kulisseja, jotta pelin renderöinnin suorituskykyä saadaan ylläpidettyä.
Sanoisin että valaistuksen tehokkuus koostuu lähinnä hyvistä taivaskartoista, varjojen kontrastieroista, sekä näiden kaikkien värisävyjen yhteensovittamisesta. Näiden värisävyjen osalta muuttujana on yleensä auringon valon sävy, ambient-valon sävy ja pelikarttaa ympäröivän kevyen usvan / sumun sävy. Mikäli nämä kolme elementtiä saa keskenään näyttämään hyvältä, niin silloin ollaan jo hyvässä lähtöasetelmassa.
SGH: Kun laitoin demon pyörimään, niin tykkäsin kovasti siitä hiljaisesta luonnosta. Sitten kun selasin asetuksia, niin huomasin, että siellä oli vaihtoehtoinen musiikki mukana. En varsinaisesti ollut kaivannut musiikkia, mutta kun laitoin sen päälle, niin sillä oli välitön “Vau!”-efekti. Se vain toimi. Onko musiikki myös sinun kynästä? Oliko sinulla joku suunnitelma tai ohjenuora, että millaista musiikin pitää olla ja mitä se ei saa olla?
Antti: Itsellä ei ole mitään lahjoja tai kykyjä audiopuolella, joten suurin osa näistä jutuista on ulkoistettu alihankkijalle, jolla on oikea koulutus, osaaminen ja intohimo audiosuunnittelua kohtaan.
Musiikin osalta itsellä on kyllä melko tarkka korva siinä, mitä se ei ainakaan saa olla, koska oikean tunnelman luominen on tavallaan oma vastuualueni, ja olen ainut henkilö, kenellä on loppupeleissä se visio, miltä peli pitää audiovisuaalisesti tuntua. Ambient-musiikissa tärkeä elementti on painottaa peli-idean horisontaalista vaikeusastetta, eli mitä lähemmäs raja-aluetta menee, sitä synkemmäksi musiikki muuttuu ja päinvastoin.
Sitten taas OST-biiseissä tavoitteena on löytää enemmänkin brändättävyyttä ja elementtejä, jotka ovat mieleenpainuvia juuri tähän projektiin liittyen. Tämän takia OST-biiseihin on yritetty tuoda esimerkiksi tiettyjä radioelementtejä ja epävireisiä “distorted” kohtia tarkoituksella, jotka eivät ole tyypillisiä muiden pelien OST-kappaleille.
SGH: Tahdotko sitten lopuksi vielä valottaa jotain Road to Vostokin tulevaisuudesta?
Antti: Julkisesti ei voi valittettavasti vielä mainita muuta kuin:
Public Demo 2 Q1 / 2024 (Game loop)
Public Demo 2 Q2 / 2024 (Game loop improvements)Ja tämän jälkeen alkaa projektin “Phase 2”, joka loogisesti vie kohti ensimmäistä kaupallista versiota.
Sen voin kuitenkin sanoa, että tästä on tarkoitus rakentaa todella laaja kokonaisuus, joka ei pelkästään rajoitu yhden pelituotteen sisälle. Road to Vostok on suunniteltu itselle uran mittaiseksi sitoutumiseksi.♞
Lataa Road to Vorstokin pelattava demo Steamista:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1963610/Road_to_Vostok/https://suomigamehub.com/haastattelu/haastattelu-road-to-vostok-antti-leinonen/
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:bluebirdroll: Dietrich Bonhoeffer fue un teólogo y filósofo alemán que se convirtió en una figura clave de la resistencia contra el nazismo.
No era un teórico de despacho; el tío tuvo el valor de oponerse directamente al régimen de Hitler, lo que finalmente le costó la vida.En su famoso texto sobre la Teoría de la Estupidez, Bonhoeffer analiza cómo sociedades enteras pueden llegar a comportarse de forma irracional y peligrosa.
Para él, la estupidez no tiene nada que ver con el cociente intelectual, sino con una renuncia moral a pensar por uno mismo para dejarse llevar por la masa o el poder de turno.
Básicamente, explicaba que es mucho más difícil luchar contra un tonto convencido que contra alguien malvado, porque el tonto ni escucha razones ni siente que esté haciendo nada malo.—•—•—•—•—
#dietrichbonhoeffer #filosofia #historia #pensamientocritico #claraalbor #verdadverdadera #moral #resistencia
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:bluebirdroll: Nos pasamos la mitad de la vida construyendo un muro para que nadie nos vea las costuras y, cuando nos queremos dar cuenta, nos hemos quedado encerrados dentro.
Hemos comprado esa idea de que ser "duros" es ser fuertes, cuando en realidad hace falta mucho más valor para mirar a alguien con dulzura que para soltar una ironía cortante.Vivimos en un mundo que premia la rapidez y el colmillo retorcido.
Parece que si no eres cínica o vas siempre con la guardia alta, eres una presa fácil.
Pero al final del día, cuando el ruido se apaga, a todas nos pasa lo mismo: esa coraza pesa una barbaridad.
La ironía está muy bien para echarse unas risas, pero nadie se siente a salvo en una casa hecha de sarcasmo.Al final, la ternura no es ser "blanda" ni débil; es tener la valentía de bajar el volumen a la defensiva y dejar que el otro vea que, debajo de toda esa eficiencia y de las batallas diarias, seguimos necesitando que nos cuiden un poquito.
Porque amar es fácil, pero tratar bien, con esa calma que no juzga y que te deja ser tú misma, eso sí que es un arte.A veces, la mayor rebelión que podemos hacer hoy en día es, simplemente, permitirnos ser tiernos sin sentir que estamos perdiendo la guerra.
↭ ✾ ↭ ✾ ↭ ✾ ↭ ✾ ↭
#ternura #reflexion #humanidad #pazinterior #autenticidad #emociones #vidacotidiana
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:bluebirdroll: A veces nos empeñamos en que todo tenga que venir con un manual de instrucciones y garantía de éxito, pero la realidad es que casi nunca sabemos qué estamos haciendo.
Esa corazonada que te dice "tírate a la piscina" no es que lo veas claro, ni que tengas seguridad; es simplemente que te has cansado de esperar el momento perfecto que nunca llega.La perfección es un aburrimiento soberano.
La mayoría de las cosas que valen la pena han salido de decisiones tomadas a ciegas, sin tener ni pajolera idea del resultado.
Hacerlo de forma torpe, imperfecta o a medias ya es un triunfo, porque mientras unos se quedan atrapados en el bucle de "ya lo haré cuando esté listo", otros ya se están manchando las botas en el barro.El sentido de las cosas no se encuentra dándole vueltas al coco en el sofá, se encuentra mientras te mueves, aunque sea tropezando.
Al final, ese "de todos modos, lo hago" es la verdadera libertad: dejar de pedirle permiso al miedo y empezar a vivir de verdad, con todas las de ganar o de perder.━━━━━━✧❂✧━━━━━━
#autenticidad #decisiones #vidareal #sinmiedo #impulso #aprendizajes #pasoapaso
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:bluebirdroll: A veces nos empeñamos en que todo tenga que venir con un manual de instrucciones y garantía de éxito, pero la realidad es que casi nunca sabemos qué estamos haciendo.
Esa corazonada que te dice "tírate a la piscina" no es que lo veas claro, ni que tengas seguridad; es simplemente que te has cansado de esperar el momento perfecto que nunca llega.La perfección es un aburrimiento soberano.
La mayoría de las cosas que valen la pena han salido de decisiones tomadas a ciegas, sin tener ni pajolera idea del resultado.
Hacerlo de forma torpe, imperfecta o a medias ya es un triunfo, porque mientras unos se quedan atrapados en el bucle de "ya lo haré cuando esté listo", otros ya se están manchando las botas en el barro.El sentido de las cosas no se encuentra dándole vueltas al coco en el sofá, se encuentra mientras te mueves, aunque sea tropezando.
Al final, ese "de todos modos, lo hago" es la verdadera libertad: dejar de pedirle permiso al miedo y empezar a vivir de verdad, con todas las de ganar o de perder.━━━━━━✧❂✧━━━━━━
#autenticidad #decisiones #vidareal #sinmiedo #impulso #aprendizajes #pasoapaso
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:bluebirdroll: A veces nos empeñamos en que todo tenga que venir con un manual de instrucciones y garantía de éxito, pero la realidad es que casi nunca sabemos qué estamos haciendo.
Esa corazonada que te dice "tírate a la piscina" no es que lo veas claro, ni que tengas seguridad; es simplemente que te has cansado de esperar el momento perfecto que nunca llega.La perfección es un aburrimiento soberano.
La mayoría de las cosas que valen la pena han salido de decisiones tomadas a ciegas, sin tener ni pajolera idea del resultado.
Hacerlo de forma torpe, imperfecta o a medias ya es un triunfo, porque mientras unos se quedan atrapados en el bucle de "ya lo haré cuando esté listo", otros ya se están manchando las botas en el barro.El sentido de las cosas no se encuentra dándole vueltas al coco en el sofá, se encuentra mientras te mueves, aunque sea tropezando.
Al final, ese "de todos modos, lo hago" es la verdadera libertad: dejar de pedirle permiso al miedo y empezar a vivir de verdad, con todas las de ganar o de perder.━━━━━━✧❂✧━━━━━━
#autenticidad #decisiones #vidareal #sinmiedo #impulso #aprendizajes #pasoapaso
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:bluebirdroll: A veces nos empeñamos en que todo tenga que venir con un manual de instrucciones y garantía de éxito, pero la realidad es que casi nunca sabemos qué estamos haciendo.
Esa corazonada que te dice "tírate a la piscina" no es que lo veas claro, ni que tengas seguridad; es simplemente que te has cansado de esperar el momento perfecto que nunca llega.La perfección es un aburrimiento soberano.
La mayoría de las cosas que valen la pena han salido de decisiones tomadas a ciegas, sin tener ni pajolera idea del resultado.
Hacerlo de forma torpe, imperfecta o a medias ya es un triunfo, porque mientras unos se quedan atrapados en el bucle de "ya lo haré cuando esté listo", otros ya se están manchando las botas en el barro.El sentido de las cosas no se encuentra dándole vueltas al coco en el sofá, se encuentra mientras te mueves, aunque sea tropezando.
Al final, ese "de todos modos, lo hago" es la verdadera libertad: dejar de pedirle permiso al miedo y empezar a vivir de verdad, con todas las de ganar o de perder.━━━━━━✧❂✧━━━━━━
#autenticidad #decisiones #vidareal #sinmiedo #impulso #aprendizajes #pasoapaso
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A commission for @/taliadoesrpgs.smallbird.social on bluesky featuring the cast of one of her Original Valor Adventures, Nightmare Rouser Faye. A magical girl parody run in the Valor TTRPG system. This was an absolute joy to work on (especially getting to work with butterflylatte's designs for the main cast.)
Talia runs Valor games inspired by various anime themes intended to help teach the Valor system to new players.
The next game is planned for Dec 7 - check it out!
https://startplaying.games/adventure/cmhy33bsr00ufjf047o29dgmm#TTRPG #TTRPGart #CommissionArt #MakioArt #AnimeArt #MastoArt #Valor #ValorHeroic #Art #Commission #MagicalGirl
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:bluebirdroll: A los soberbios les encanta decir que no necesitan a nadie.
Lo dicen con la barbilla alta y el pecho inflado, como si la autosuficiencia fuera un superpoder y no un mecanismo de defensa con traje caro. 🙃La soberbia casi nunca es grandeza.
Es miedo maquillado.
Es esa vocecita que susurra: “si me pongo por encima, nadie notará que me siento por debajo”.
Y claro, funciona… durante un rato.
Hasta que la vida te baja del pedestal sin pedir permiso.El soberbio no escucha, espera su turno para hablar.
No pregunta, sentencia.
No duda, pontifica.Y lo más curioso es que confunde respeto con intimidación.
Cree que si nadie le lleva la contraria, es porque tiene razón.
A veces no le llevan la contraria porque cansa.
Porque discutir con alguien que nunca se equivoca es como jugar al ajedrez con una paloma: tira las piezas y se va convencida de que ganó.La soberbia aísla.
Porque nadie quiere compartir mesa con alguien que siempre tiene la última palabra y nunca la última reflexión.
Y cuando el aplauso se acaba —porque siempre se acaba— queda el silencio.
Y ahí, en el silencio, ya no hay superioridad que valga.Ser firme no es lo mismo que ser soberbio.
Tener criterio no es lo mismo que despreciar el ajeno.
Y saber mucho no te hace sabio si no sabes escuchar.La verdadera seguridad no necesita exhibirse.
Se nota.
No aplasta.
No compite por dominar la habitación.
La mejora.Y si te reconoces un poco en esto, no es un ataque.
Es una invitación.
La humildad no te quita valor, te lo multiplica.
Porque cuando bajas la armadura, descubres algo incómodo pero liberador: no tienes que demostrar nada para valer.La soberbia grita.
La seguridad sonríe y deja espacio.Y al final, siempre preferimos sentarnos al lado de quien deja espacio.
❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧
#reflexión #soberbia #humildad #crecimientopersonal #psicologíacotidiana #ego #autoconciencia #aprenderasermejor #madurezemocional
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https://s.shopee.com.br/4AitS5GJJJ
☝☝
Caixa De Som Bluetooth Mp3 Sd FM Super Bass Potente -MS-3628BT com 45% de desconto!
Valor:R$103,99.
Poderá ter alterações de preço ou acabar rapidinho
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#caixadesom #som #eletronicos #Fm #acessorios #audio #celular #sound #somresidencial #tecnologia #radio #Mp3
#CaixadeSomBluetooth #musica #festa
#potencia #Bass -
[ Inversia Tavolo ]
Kiel likvaĵo, nuboj foje ŝprucas tien kaj reen ene de la valo, kaptilois kaj kovrita de pli malvarman klaran tavolon, kiu simple ne miksiĝas.
Tiaj tagoj la montoj estas nur insuloj en nubmaro.
~limapartigo~
\eZ
#miksang #dailypic #aphotoaday
#Esperanto #photography #photo
#winter #snow #ski #skibum #alpine #alps #mountains #cloudy #cloud #clouds #seaofclouds #seaofcloud #above #aboveclouds #bluesky #clearsky #clearskies #fluids #fluiddynamics
#inversion #inversionlayer #dewpoint -
Three faces.
#helsinki #finland #suomi #finnish #suomalainen #portrait #muotokuva #selfie #malemodel #miesmalli #finnishmodel #suomimalli #model #malli #color #väri #colorful #värikäs #blue #sininen #red #punainen #light #valo #lights #valot #studio #photography #valokuvaus #photographer #kuvaaja #mobilephotography #art #taide #mastoart #mastodon #fediverse
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[ Inversia Tavolo ]
Ubako estas, pro krutaj flankoj kaj suden lokitaj montaroj, tiuj partoj de la valo kiuj neniam vidas la sunon, ĉar la monto ŝtelas la tutan lumon.
Je nubmaraj tagoj estas tre evidente vidi kie la suno neniam brilas. Bonas scii ke tie, la neĝo protektita, daŭras la plej longan tempon.
~montumbro~
\eZ
#miksang #dailypic #aphotoaday
#Esperanto #photography #photo
#winter #snow #ski #skibum #alpine #alps #mountains #valley #cloudy #cloud #clouds #seaofclouds #seaofcloud #above #aboveclouds #bluesky #clearsky #clearskies #fluids #fluiddynamics
#inversion #inversionlayer #dewpoint
#iykyk #ifyouknowyouknow
#bananaforscale
#ubac #schattenseiten #wherethesundontshine -
Shenandoah Valley from Maryland Heights (Alfred R. Waud, 1864, U.S. Library of Congress, public domain).
Transcription of Alfred Waud’s Description of His Illustration Above:
Shenandoah Valley from Maryland Heights (Alfred Waud’s notes, p. 1, U.S. Library of Congress, public domain).
The Shenandoah valley from Maryland Heights – in 1864.
This sketch shows the valley up to where the Massanutten Mountain range divides it into the Luray valley on the left. The Shenandoah valley continuing on the right, with a smaller – Powers Fort – valley between the two running up into the Massanuttens. On the right, or the northern side of the valley is the Shenandoah or Great North Mtn. range. On the left the rugged heights of the Blue Ridge, with Snickers, Ashby’s, Manassas, Chester, and Thorntons Gaps in succession, and still further on Swift-run, Powells, Browns, Jarmans, and Rockfish Gaps. The last within twenty miles of Charlottesville.
In the extreme distance about the center between Massanutten and Great North, is Mt. Jackson, beyond, and overlooking the battle ground of Strasbourg, Fisher’s hill and Cedar Creek. Martinsburg and Bunker Hill lie just out of the sketch to the right. Although unseen, on account of woods and hills obstructing the view, the towns of Charlestown, Winchester, Berryville, Kernstown, Newtown, Middletown, Strasburg, and Front Royal, are within range.
Shenandoah Valley from Maryland Heights (Alfred Waud’s notes, p. 2, U.S. Library of Congress, public domain).
The Rocky bed of the Shenandoah river occupies the center of the picture. Loudon heights on one side. Bolivar heights on the other, dotted with houses and tents, and cut up with roads and paths to the camps, the Winchester pike showing distinctly for some miles. It was on this plateau – Bolivar heights, that Colonel Miles placed his troops when Jackson invested Harpers Ferry, taking position on Loudoun, and Maryland heights and compelling the Union force to surrender. Harpers Ferry is to [sic, “too”] low down under the shoulder of the mountain to be seen from the point on Maryland heights from which the sketch was made.
– A.R. Waud
Alfred Waud sitting in the Devil’s Den in July 1863, following the Battle of Gettysburg (Timothy H. O’Sullivan, 1863, public domain).
Alfred Rudolph Waud (1827-1891) was a London-born artist who became a notable chronicler of the American Civil War. Hired as a full-time staff illustrator for the New York Illustrated News in 1860 and then by Harper’s Weekly in 1861, he reportedly observed every battle fought by the U.S. Army of the Potomac between July 1861 and March 1865, and became one of only two sketch artists to witness and illustrate the strategic maneuvering, valor and carnage which transpired during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
His sketches of the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, which turned the tide of the U.S. Civil War significantly in favor of the Union, preserved for posterity the stark contrasts between the valley’s beauty and the ugliness wrought by war.
#1864 #AlfredWaud #America #AmericanHistory #Arts #CedarCreek #CivilWar #DistrictOfColumbiaMarylandVirginiaAndWestVirginia #FisherSHill #History #Maryland #Opequan #Opequon #ShenandoahValley #Winchester
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El Mundial en casa con Noblex
En el marco del Mundial 2026, Noblex, lanzó una nueva campaña apelando a la sensibilidad del hincha argentino. Con un fuerte tinte de la cultura del fútbol argentino, Noblex presenta una propuesta que acompaña los momentos de reunión más importantes en los hogares argentinos (Fuente Newsan).
Durante el Mundial, el televisor se transforma en el centro emocional del hogar. El living se convierte en punto de encuentro y la experiencia de ver los partidos pasa a ser tan importante como el resultado.
https://twitter.com/arielmcorg/status/2052171462929256583
En este contexto, crece la aspiración por pantallas cada vez más grandes, capaces de amplificar esa vivencia colectiva. La propuesta de Noblex acompaña esta tendencia con el desarrollo de equipos como el modelo de 100 pulgadas de la línea Black Series Pro, que lleva la experiencia a una escala inmersiva.
Con resolución 4K, tecnología QLED y un contraste de 5000:1, el equipo apunta a maximizar la calidad de imagen en escenas de alta exigencia visual, permitiendo sentir cada pase, cada control y cada definición como si estuvieses dentro de la cancha, con un nivel de detalle que hace visibles incluso los movimientos más sutiles del juego. A esto se suma una frecuencia de refresco de 144 Hz, junto con tecnologías como Variable Refresh Rate y Auto Low Latency Mode, que optimizan la fluidez y la respuesta en tiempo real, para no perderte ningún movimiento: desde un cambio de ritmo en mitad de cancha hasta una jugada rápida en el área que se define en segundos.
El sistema de sonido, con parlantes estéreo y subwoofer integrado, refuerza la experiencia desde lo sensorial, haciendo que vivas el partido como en la tribuna, con el clima del estadio, los cantos y la tensión de cada jugada. Por su parte, la conectividad —WiFi, Bluetooth, múltiples puertos HDMI y funciones como Google Assistant y Miracast— acompaña un uso cada vez más integrado dentro del ecosistema digital del hogar, facilitando acciones como compartir una repetición desde el celular, seguir estadísticas en simultáneo o cambiar de contenido sin interrumpir el partido.
En consonancia con esta expectativa generalizada, Noblex lanzó una promoción: quienes compren un televisor de 100 pulgadas serán acreedores a la devolución del doble de su valor si Argentina resulta ganadora del Mundial. Dicha devolución se efectuará mediante un cupón utilizable en cualquiera de los productos disponibles en la web de Tienda Newsan.
Así, el dispositivo no solo mejora la calidad de visualización, sino que redefine el rol del hogar durante el Mundial: un espacio donde la tecnología y la emoción se combinan para generar una experiencia compartida.
#arielmcorg #newsan #noblex #PORTADA #smarttv -
#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 33 Part 1
#Wss366 Mug“Ack!” I screamed.
With aggressive footsteps, Mistress rushed into the room, arms swinging, and head thrust forward. It screamed danger.
“Fly away!!!”
She wore a nightgown and a wrap around her shoulders. Her eyes were as fierce as Dōken-shin’s had been when I bravely stood up to him.
I quailed, taking off for the top of a bookshelf. From there, I shouted down, “Crack. The book! The book!”
She moved, and I crouched, ready to take off if she threw something at me.
Instead, she stood in the middle of the floor, arms on her hips, glaring up at me. “This is the middle of the night. It had better be worth it, 'Crow!'”
Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided not to correct her this time. “It’s the book. You have to see it,” I cawed.
“What book? What are you talking about?”
She moved again, and I hopped back.
“Can I come down? You won’t hurt me?” I asked.
She nodded, and I flew down to a desk near the window. Through the glass, the moon shone aqua-blue, illuminating a messy pile of papers and books. A cold #mug of cocoa lay amid remnants of last evening’s meal. In the center of the mess rested an open volume, which I pecked at. “See? It’s here.”
Sumika approached, asking, “What’s here?” She stopped short and stared. “That’s not where I left the grimoire. How did it get here?”
Indeed, the Madousho Mōrō, aka Grimoire Obscuriea, lay with its pages gleaming in the soft moonlight.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri
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Colonel Tilghman H. Good, commanding officer, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, circa 1863 (public domain image).
They were steady, true and brave. If heavy losses may indicate gallantry, the palm may be given to Col. Good’s noble regiment, the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers. Upon this command the brunt of battle fell. Out of 600 who went into action, nearly 150 were killed or wounded. All of the Keystone troops did splendidly….
– Newspapers across America, October and November 1862
Although reports penned by senior military officials immediately following the combined Union Army-Navy Expedition to Pocotaligo provide an important overview of the incidents leading up to the Battle of Pocotaligo, South Carolina on October 22, 1862, it is the individual reports penned by the brigade and regimental commanding officers on site which provide the most detailed accounts of how this Union military engagement changed from an “expedition” to a raging battle.
Perhaps the most important of these front-line accounts come from members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry themselves because the regiment’s founder, Colonel Tilghman H. Good, served that day as both commanding officer of his own regiment and as the commanding officer of the U.S. Tenth Army’s First Brigade, to which the 47th Pennsylvania was attached, and because the enlisted men and their direct superiors were involved in the most heated parts of this particular battle.
Highlighted version of the U.S. Army’s map of the Pocotaligo-Coosawhatchie Expedition, South Carolina, October 22, 1862. Blue Arrow: Mackay’s Point, where the U.S. Tenth Army debarked and began its march. Blue Box: Position of Union troops (blue) and Confederate troops (red) in relation to the Pocotaligo bridge and town of Pocotaligo, the Charleston & Savannah Railroad, and the Caston and Frampton plantations (blue highlighting added by Laurie Snyder, 2023; public domain; click to enlarge).
Colonel Good’s first account of the battle was written on October 24, 1862, two days after the engagement with the enemy occurred, and was penned at his desk at the headquarters of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in Beaufort, South Carolina.
SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by the Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers in the action of October 22:
Eight companies, comprising 480 men, embarked on the steamship Ben De Ford [sic, Ben Deford], and two companies, of 120 men, on the Marblehead, at 2 a.m. October 21. With this force I arrived at Mackays Landing before daylight the following morning. At daylight I was ordered to disembark my regiment and move forward across the first causeway and take a position, and there await the arrival of the other forces. The two companies of my regiment on board of the Marblehead had not yet arrived, consequently I had but eight companies of my regiment with me at this juncture.
At 12 [noon]. I was ordered to take the advance with four companies, one of the Forty-seventh and one of the Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and two of the Sixth Connecticut, and to deploy two of them as skirmishers and move forward. After moving forward about 2 miles I discerned some 30 or 40 of the enemys [sic] cavalry ahead, but they fled as we advanced. About 2 miles farther on I discovered two pieces of artillery and some cavalry, occupying a position about three-quarters of a mile ahead in the road. I immediately called for a regiment, but seeing that the position was not a strong one I made a charge with the skirmishing line. The enemy, after firing a few rounds of shell, fled. I followed up as rapidly as possible to within about 1 mile of Frampton Creek. In front of this stream is a strip of woods about 500 yards wide, and in front of the woods a marsh of about 200 yards, with a small stream running through it parallel with the woods. A causeway also extends across the swamp, to the right of which the swamp is impassable. Here the enemy opened a terrible fire of shell from the rear, of the woods. I again called for a regiment, and my regiment came forward very promptly. I immediately deployed in line of battle and charged forward to the woods, three companies on the right and the other five on the left of the road. I moved forward in quick-time, and when within about 500 yards of the woods the enemy opened a galling fire of infantry from it. I ordered double-quick and raised a cheer, and with a grand yell the officers and men moved forward in splendid order and glorious determination, driving the enemy from this position.
Lieutenant-Colonel George Warren Alexander, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, circa 1861 (public domain).
On reaching the woods I halted and reorganized my line. The three companies on the right of the road (in consequence of not being able to get through the marsh) did not reach the woods, and were moved by Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander by the flank on the causeway. During this time a terrible fire of grape and canister was opened by the enemy through the woods, hence I did not wait for the three companies, but immediately charged with the five at hand directly through the woods; but in consequence of the denseness of the woods, which was a perfect matting of vines and brush, it was almost impossible to get through, but by dint of untiring assiduity the men worked their way through nobly. At this point I was called out of the woods by Lieutenant Bacon, aide-de-camp, who gave the order, ‘The general wants you to charge through the woods.’ I replied that I was then charging, and that the men were working their way through as fast as possible. Just then I saw the two companies of my regiment which embarked on the Marblehead coming up to one of the companies that was unable to get through the swamp on the right. I went out to meet them, hastening them forward, with a view of re-enforcing the five already engaged on the left of the road in the woods; but the latter having worked their way successfully through and driven the enemy from his position, I moved the two companies up the road through the woods until I came up with the advance. The two companies on the right side of the road, under Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander had also worked their way up through the woods and opened fire on the retreating enemy. At this point I halted and reorganized my regiment, by forming close column by companies.
This image of Captain Edwin G. Minnich is being presented here through the generosity of Chris Sapp and his family, and is being used with Mr. Sapp’s permission. This image may not be reproduced, repurposed, or shared with other websites without the permission of Chris Sapp.
I then detailed Lieutenant Minnich, of Company B, and Lieutenant Breneman, of Company H, with a squad of men, to collect the killed and wounded. They promptly and faithfully attended to this important duty, deserving much praise for the efficiency and coolness they displayed during the fight and in the discharge of this humane and worthy trust.
The casualties in this engagement were 96. Captain Junker of Company K; Captain Mickley, of Company I [sic, “G”], and Lieutenant Geety, of Company H, fell mortally wounded while gallantly leading their respective companies on.
I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of both officers and men. They all performed deeds of valor, and rushed forward to duty and danger with a spirit and energy worthy of veterans.
The rear forces coming up passed my regiment and pursued the enemy. When I had my regiment again placed in order, and hearing the boom of cannon, I immediately followed up, and, upon reaching the scene of action, I was ordered to deploy my regiment on the right side of the wood, move forward along the edge of it, and relieve the Seventh Connecticut Regiment. This I promptly obeyed. The position here occupied by the enemy was on the opposite side of the Pocotaligo Creek, with a marsh on either side of it, and about 800 yards distant from the opposite wood, where the enemy had thrown up rifle pits all along its edge.
On my arrival the enemy had ceased firing; but after the lapse of a few minutes they commenced to cheer and hurrah for the Twenty-sixth South Carolina. We distinctly saw this regiment come up in double-quick and the men rapidly jumping into the pits. We immediately opened fire upon them with terrible effect, and saw their men thinning by scores. In return they opened a galling fire upon us. I ordered the men under cover and to keep up the fire.
Excerpt from the U.S. Army map of the Pocotaligo-Coosawhatchie Expedition, October 22, 1862, showing the Caston and Frampton plantations in relation to the town of Pocotaligo, the Pocotaligo bridge and the Charleston & Savannah Railroad (public domain).
During this time our forces commenced to retire. I kept my position until all our forces were on the march, and then gave one volley and retired by flank in the road at double-quick about 1,000 yards in the rear of the Seventh Connecticut. This regiment was formed about 1,000 yards in the rear of my former position. We jointly formed the rear guard of our forces and alternately retired in the above manner.
My casualties here amounted to 15 men.
We arrived at Frampton (our first battle ground) at 8 p.m. Here my regiment was relieved from further rear-guard duty by the Fourth New Hampshire Regiment. This gave me the desired opportunity to carry my dead and wounded from the field and convey them back to the landing. I arrived at the above place at 3 o’clock the following morning.
* Note: All of this unfolded without two of the 47th Pennsylvania’s more seasoned officers: Major William H. Gausler, Colonel Good’s third-in-command, and Captain Henry S. Harte, the commanding officer of Company F. Both had been ordered to return home to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley in July to resume their recruiting efforts, which ran through early November 1862. Major Gausler persuaded fifty-four new recruits to join the 47th Pennsylvania while Harte rounded up an additional twelve. Meanwhile, back in the Deep South, Captain Harte’s F Company men were commanded by Harte’s direct subordinates, First Lieutenant George W. Fuller and Second Lieutenant August G. Eagle. As a result, neither Gausler, nor Harte participated in their regiment’s first truly significant military engagements at Saint John’s Bluff and Pocotaligo.
First State Color, 47th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (presented to the regiment by Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin, September 20, 1861; retired May 11, 1865, public domain).
In a second letter to his superiors, Colonel Good presented his “report of the part taken by the First Brigade in the battles of October 22,” which included further details about the 47th Pennsylvania’s role that day:
After meeting the enemy in his first position he was driven back by the skirmishing line, consisting of two companies of the Sixth Connecticut, one of the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania, and one of the Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania, under my command. Here the enemy only fired a few rounds of shot and shell. He then retreated and assumed another position, and immediately opened fire. Colonel Chatfield, then in command of the brigade, ordered the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania forward to me, with orders to charge. I immediately charged and drove the enemy from the second position. The Sixth Connecticut was deployed in my rear and left; the Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania on my right, and the Fourth New Hampshire in the rear of the Fifty-fifth, both in close column by divisions, all under a heavy fire of shell and canister. These regiments then crossed the causeway by the flank and moved close up to the woods. Here they were halted, with orders to support the artillery. After the enemy had ceased firing the Fourth New Hampshire was ordered to move up the road in the rear of the artillery and two companies of the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania to follow this regiment. The Sixth Connecticut followed up, and the Fifty-fifth moved up through the woods. At this juncture Colonel Chatfield fell, seriously wounded, and Lieutenant-Colonel Speidel was also wounded.
The casualties in the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania amounted to 96 men. As yet I am unable to learn the loss of the entire brigade.
“The Commencement of the Battle near Pocotaligo River” (Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, October 1862, public domain).
The enemy having fled, the Fourth New Hampshire and the Fifty- fifth Pennsylvania followed in close pursuit. During this time the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania and the Sixth Connecticut halted and again organized, after which they followed. On coming up to the engagement I assumed command of the brigade, and found the forces arranged in the following order: The Fourth New Hampshire was deployed as skirmishers along the entire front, and the Fifty-fifth deployed in line of battle on the left side of the road, immediately in the rear of the Fourth New Hampshire. I then ordered the Sixth Connecticut to deploy in the rear of the Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania and the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania to deploy on the right side of the road in line of battle and relieve the Seventh Connecticut. I then ordered the Fourth New Hampshire, which had spent all its ammunition, back under cover on the road in the woods. The enemy meantime kept up a terrific fire of grape and musketry, to which we replied with terrible effect. At this point the orders were given to retire, and the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania and Seventh Connecticut formed the rear guard. I then ordered the Thirty-seventh Pennsylvania to keep its position and the Sixth Connecticut to march by the flank into the road and to the rear, the Fourth New Hampshire and Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania to follow. The troops of the Second Brigade were meanwhile retiring. After the whole column was in motion and a line of battle established by the Seventh Connecticut about 1,000 yards in the rear of the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania I ordered the Forty-seventh to retire by the flank and establish a line of battle 1,000 yards in the rear of the Seventh Connecticut; after which the Seventh Connecticut moved by the flank to the rear and established a line of battle 1,000 yards in the rear of the Forty seventh, and thus retiring, alternately establishing lines, until we reached Frampton Creek, where we were relieved from this duty by the Fourth New Hampshire. We arrived at the landing at 3 o’clock on the morning of the 23d instant.
The casualties of the Sixth Connecticut are 34 in killed and wounded and the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania 112 in killed and wounded. As to the remaining regiments I have as yet received no report.
The Post-Battle Confederate Response
In the days following the Battle of Pocotaligo (known today as the Second Battle of Pocotaligo or the Battle of Yemassee due to its proximity to the town of Yemassee, South Carolina), newspapers across the Confederate States carried comments attributed to Confederate Brigadier-General Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard on October 23:
The enemy advanced yesterday morning in two columns, one against Coosawhatchie and the other against Pocotaligo. They were repulsed from Pocotaligo by our forces, but at Coosawhatchie they succeeded in gaining the Railroad, yet, before they could do it much damage, our troops came up and drove them off.
The Railroad and Telegraph lines have been mended and are again in working order.
The enemy’s gunboats are anchored below Coosawhatchie.
Intent on leaving no doubt as to what the Confederate States Army was actually fighting for, General Beauregard then wrote:
The Abolitionists attacked in force Pocotaligo and Coosawhatchie yesterday. They were gallantly repulsed to their gunboats at Mackey’s Point and Bee’s Creek Landing, by Col. W. S. Walker commanding the District, and D. P. Harrison, commanding the troops sent from here. The enemy had come in thirteen transports and gunboats. The Charleston and Savannah Railroad is uninjured. The Abolitionists left their dead and wounded on the field, and our cavalry is in hot pursuit.
Among the Confederate regiments that battled the U.S. Tenth Army Corps that day, according to southern newspaper accounts, were the Virginia Artillery, Captain J. N. Lampkin, commanding, the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery, Captain Stephen Elliott, Jr., commanding, the Charleston Light Dragoons, and the Rutledge Mounted Riflemen.
Commendations Received by Members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers
Captain John Peter Shindel Gobin, Co. C, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, shown here circa 1863, went on to become Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania after the war (public domain).
Praise for the performance of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers quickly followed after the regiment returned to Hilton Head. Brigadier-General Brannan praised Colonel Good twice, noting:
Col. T. H. Good, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers (Colonel Chatfield being wounded early in the day), commanded the First Brigade during the latter part of the engagement with much ability. Nothing could be more satisfactory than the promptness and skill with which the wounded were attended to by Surg. E. W. Bailey [sic, Baily], Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, medical director, and the entire medical staff of the command.
He then added this update:
I herewith transmit the reports of Brig. Gen. A. H. Terry and Col. T. H. Good, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, who commanded brigades during the late expedition, under my command, to Pocotaligo, S.C., and would beg respectfully to bring them to the favorable notice of the department for their gallant and meritorious conduct during the engagement of October 22….
In addition to those officers mentioned in my report of the expedition I have great pleasure, on the recommendation of their respective commanders, in bringing to the favorable consideration of the department the following officers and men, who rendered themselves specially worthy of notice by their bravery and praiseworthy conduct during the entire expedition and the engagements attending it: First Lieut. E. Gittings, wounded, lieutenant Company E, Third U.S. Artillery, commanding section, who served his pieces with great coolness and judgment under the heavy fire of a rebel battery; Lieutenant Col. G. W. Alexander, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers; Maj. J. H. Filler, Fifty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers; Capt. Theodore Bacon, Seventh Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, acting assistant adjutant-general Second Brigade; First Lieut. Adrian Terry, Seventh Connecticut Volunteers, and Second Lieut. Martin S. James, Third Regiment Rhode Island Volunteer Artillery, staff of Brigadier-General Terry; Capt. J. P. Shindel Gobin, Company C, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers; Capt. George Junker, killed, Company K, Forty-seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers; Captain Mickley, killed, Company G, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers; First Lieut. W. H. R. Hangen, adjutant, wounded, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers; First Lieutenant Minnich, Company B, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers; First Lieut. W. W. Geety, severely wounded, commanding Company H, Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers; Second Lieutenant Breneman, Company H, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers; Private Michael Larkins, wounded, Company C, Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers….
Brigadier-General Alfred H. Terry, commanding officer of the U.S. Tenth Army’s Second Brigade that day, had this to say about the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers:
The Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers was for a short time under my immediate command, and, although they are not a portion of my brigade, I cannot forbear mentioning the steadiness and discipline by this admirable regiment during our movements to the rear.
47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Casualty Reports by Officers of the Regiment
Captain Charles Mickley, Company G, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, circa 1862 (public domain).
Losses for the 47th at Pocotaligo were statistically significant. Two officers and eighteen enlisted men died; an additional two officers and one hundred and fourteen enlisted men from the 47th were wounded.
Der Lecha Caunty Patriot, an Allentown-based German-language newspaper, reported that Captain Charles Mickley, the commanding officer of Company G, had suffered a fatal head wound during the Battle of Pocotaligo on “the railway between Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia.” His “remains were brought immediately after his death to his home in Allentown.” Captain Mickley’s subsequent funeral service, which was officiated by the Reverands Derr and Brobst at the local Reformation Church, was widely attended by a “suffering entourage.”
Also among the G Company casualties were Privates Benjamin Diehl, James Knappenberger, John Kuhns (alternate spelling: Kuntz), and George Reber. Privates Knappenberger and Kuhns were killed in action during the 47th’s early engagement at the Frampton Plantation; George Reber, a resident of Thorntown, Pennsylvania, sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his head. Private Franklin Oland subsequently died from his wounds at the Union Army’s general hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina on October 30, and Private John Heil, who had sustained a gunshot wound (termed “Vulnus Sclopet” in his medical records), succumbed to his own battle wound-related complications at Hilton Head on November 2, 1862.
Daniel K. Reeder, former corporal, Company H, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers (National Republican, December 1, 1887, public domain).
On October 25, 1862, Captain James Kacy of Company H penned the following letter to his company’s hometown newspaper, The Perry County Democrat. Writing from the regiment’s headquarters at Beaufort, he asked for the community’s help in reaching a decedent’s family:
Jason Robinson, a printer, joined my company, from your place and was killed at the battle of Pocotaligo on 22d inst. I do not know his relations or where to write to them. Probably you do. The following is a list of killed and wounded in my company:
COMPANY H. – Killed – Henry Stambaugh, Jefferson Waggoner, Peter Deitrick, Jason P. Robinson. – Wounded—First Lieutenant W. W. Geety, mortally, Orderly Sergeant, George Reynolds; Sergeant Reuben S. Gardner, in head and leg; Corporals Daniel Reeder, David H. Smith, Peter W. Stockslager; privates Jerome Briner [sic], Henry Bolinger, Augustus Rupp, Samuel Huggins, Comley Idall, Patrick Mullen, Jefferson Haney.
We did not lose a prisoner but took some. Total loss in the 47th Reg. 99 wounded, 23 killed. Several have died since. Our boys fought like Turks. We ran out of ammunition and had to leave the field.–We are going back soon.
The effects of Robinson will be sent home as soon as I can put up and forward by express.
Reeder, who had been shot in the arm, was wounded so severely that surgeons were forced to amputate his damaged limb above the elbow. After convalescing briefly at the Union Army’s General Hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina, he was discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability on November 24, 1862, and sent home to Pennsylvania.
Geety’s survival was nothing short of miraculous, according to accounts by physicians who provided follow-up treatment for him in 1863 Harrisburg, where he had been reassigned to recruiting duties for the 47th Pennsylvania and quartermaster duties for Camp Curtin. (See Geety’s bio on our website for details.)
Idall, Reynolds and Huggins, however, were less fortunate. Idall died from gunshot-related complications eight days after the battle, while undergoing care at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Reynolds also succumbed to complications there on November 8 while Private Huggins, who had sustained a wound to his leg (also described on his Army death ledger entry as “Vulnus Sclopet”) died there from his wounds on December 16, 1862.
Captain Daniel Oyster, Company C, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, circa 1864 (public domain).
The losses within Company C were higher, in many cases, than those of other companies within the regiment, largely due to one simple fact—Company C was the color-bearer unit. As such, it came under heavier fire than many of the 47th’s other units because the red, white, and blue American flag carried by the company was easy to spot for sharpshooters and artillerymen, even through the smoky air of battle. In one heartbreaking “twist of fate” tragedy, Sergeant Peter Haupt and his brother, Private Samuel Y. Haupt, initially were counting their lucky stars after being hit—Samuel sustaining a wound to his chin and Peter sustaining a wound to his foot, only to learn later that Peter’s foot injury was resisting the best treatment efforts of regimental and division medical personnel. In a stunning turn, Peter Haupt died at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, just over three weeks later. According to an affidavit submitted to the Commissioner of Pensions, United States by Second Lieutenant Daniel Oyster at Fort Taylor, Key West, Florida on August 14, 1863, and certified at Fort Taylor on August 20, 1863 by Captain John Peter Shindel Gobin in his acting capacity as Judge Advocate:
This is to certify that Sergeant Peter Haupt of Company (C) 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers died at Hilton Head South Carolina November 14th 1862 of wounds received at Pocotalico [sic] South Carolina;
That the said wounds were received by the said Peter Haupt during an engagement with the enemy at the place aforesaid and were caused by a Rifle or Musket ball having entered his left foot and which resulted in his death at the time and place aforesaid that I was present and have personal knowledge of the facts.
The actual cause of Sergeant Peter Haupt’s death, which was listed by his physician on the Union Army hospital’s death ledger, was “traumatic tetanus.” His remains were subsequently returned home; he was then laid to rest at the Sunbury Cemetery in Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Also on the roster of C Company wounded was Private Timothy Matthias Snyder. Unlike so many others in the 47th, Tim survived, recuperated and returned to duty, serving with the regiment until its final muster out on Christmas day in 1865. His son, John Hartranft Snyder, grew up to become a pioneer in the telephone industry.
Among the Company E injured was Corporal Reuben Weiss. Wounded in both legs (including a gunshot to the left leg), he returned to duty after convalescing, and served for another two years until being honorably discharged on a surgeon’s certificate.
One of the Company I casualties was Edwin Dreisbach, who also survived and continued to serve for the duration of the war. Sadly, though, his later life was altered by mental illness (possibly “Soldier’s Heart,” which is more commonly known today as post-traumatic stress disorder).
As hard as this battle was on Company C, though, it was Company K that suffered many of the regiment’s most severe casualties. Private John McConnell died on the field of battle while Captain George Junker was mortally wounded by a minie ball fired from a Confederate rifle during the intense fighting near the Frampton Plantation. Also mortally wounded were Privates Abraham Landes (alternate spelling: “Landis”) and Joseph Louis (alternate spelling: “Lewis”). All three died the next day while being treated at the Union Army’s General Hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Private John Schuchard, who was also mortally wounded at Pocotaligo, died at the same hospital on October 24. Private Edward Frederick lasted a short while longer, finally succumbing on February 16, 1863 at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, Florida to brain fever, a complication from the personal war he had waged with his battle wounds. He was initially buried at the fort’s parade grounds.
Private Gottlieb Fiesel, who had also sustained a head wound, initially survived. Although his skull had been fractured and the left side of his head badly damaged by shrapnel from an exploding artillery shell, physicians were hopeful that Fiesel might still recover since surgeries to remove bone fragments from his brain had been successful—but then he contracted meningitis while recuperating. He passed away at Hilton Head on November 9, 1862, and was one of those interred at the Beaufort National Cemetery.
Private Jacob Hertzog, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers – Co. K, successfully recovered from a gunshot wound to his right arm, circa 1866 (U.S. Surgeon General’s Office, public domain).
K Company’s Corporal John Bischoff and Privates Manoah J. Carl, Jacob F. Hertzog, Frederick Knell, Samuel Kunfer, Samuel Reinert, John Schimpf, William Schrank, and Paul Strauss were among those wounded in action who rallied. Private Strauss survived an artillery shell wound to his right shoulder, recuperated, and continued to serve with the regiment. Private Hertzog, who had been discharged two months earlier on his own surgeon’s certificate, on February 24, 1863, had sustained a gunshot wound to his right arm; his treatment, like that of the aforementioned Private Fiesel, was detailed extensively in medical journals during and after his period of service. (See his bio on our website for more details.)
In late October and early November, newspapers nationwide began publishing more detailed casualty lists. Even just as partial tallies, they were still jaw-dropping, in terms of numbers and in terms of the severity and types of battle wounds sustained by members of the regiment:
Regimental Officers:
- Hangen, Regimental First Lieutenant and Adjutant Washington H. R.: Severely wounded in the knee; narrowly avoided amputation; survived and returned to duty after lengthy convalescence period;
Company A:
- Ferer (alternate spelling: Fever), Sergeant William: Slight wound;
- Fraunfelder (alternate spelling of surname: Trumpfelder), Corporal Levi: Slight wound;
- Strauss, Corporal David: Severe thigh wound;
Company B:
- Fink, Corporal Aaron: Sustained gunshot wounds to both legs, below the knees; died from wounds at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina, November 5, 1862;
- Gaumer, Sergeant Allen: Killed, Frampton Plantation;
- George, Private Nathan: Died from battle wounded-related complications at the Union Army’s post hospital, Hilton Head, South Carolina, November 14, 1862;
- Kern (alternate spelling: Hern), Private William: Sustained service-related wound the day before the Battle of Pocotaligo, South Carolina; died from military wound-related complications at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina, October 23, 1862;
- Leisenring, Private Martin: Unspecified wound;
- Pfeifer, Private Obadiah: Leg amputated after being wounded in action during the Battle of Pocotaligo, South Carolina, October 22, 1862; discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability, March 16, 1865, due to loss of leg;
- Raymond, Private Haldeman: Gunshot wound to left arm;
- Ruttman, Private Ernst (alternate spelling: Rothman, Earnest): Unspecified wound;
- Savitz, Private Charles J.: Finger shot off;
- Wieand (alternate spellings: Weiand, Wiand), Private Benjamin: Unspecified wound;
- Wieand (alternate spelling: Wiand), Private John: Leg amputated after sustaining gunshot or shrapnel wound; discharged on surgeon’s certificate of disability, December 3, 1862;
Company C:
- Bartlow, Private John: Leg wound;
- Billington, Private Samuel H.: Leg wound;
- Deibert, Private Seth: Killed;
- Finck, Corporal William F.: Leg wound;
- Haas, Private Jeremiah: Breast and face wounds;
- Haupt, Corporal Samuel S.: Chin/face wound;
- Haupt, Sergeant Peter: Ankle/foot wound;
- Holman, Private Conrad: Face wound;
- Horner, Private George: Killed;
- Kiehl, Private Theodore: Face wound;
- Larkins, Private Michael: Hip and side wounds;
- Leffler, Private Charles: Leg wound;
- Lothard, Private Thomas (also known as Marshall, Charles): Body wound;
- O’Rourke, Private Richard: Side wound;
- Rhine, Private James R.: Leg wound;
- Snyder, Private Timothy: Unspecified wound;
- Wolf, Private Peter: Killed;
Company D:
- Baltozer (alternate spelling: Balltager), Private Jacob: Arm wound;
- Crownover, Corporal James: Slight breast wound;
- Musser (alternate spelling: Muiser), Private Alex: Killed;
- Sheaffer, Private Benjamin: Slight breast wound;
- Stewart, Corporal Cornelius: Severe side wound;
Company E:
- Adams, Private William: Leg wound;
- Bachman (alternate spelling: Bauchman), Private Henry A.: Killed (possibly killed at the actual Pocotaligo bridge; military affidavits for his mother’s U.S. Civil War Pension stated that his death occurred at “the battle of Pocotaligo Bridge, South Carolina”);
- Coult, Private George: Hip wound;
- Derr, Private Nathan: Shoulder wound;
- Force (alternate spelling: Farce), Private William H.: Wrist wound;
- Hahn, Private George: Leg wound;
- Harkins, Private Daniel F.: Arm wound;
- Jacoby (alternate spelling of surname: Jacobs), Private Moses: Hand wound;
- Kirkendall (alternate spelling: Kerkendall), Private Jacob: Unspecified wound;
- Lind, Private John: Wounds to both legs;
- Minnick (alternate spelling: Minnich), Private Samuel: Killed;
- Munday (alternate spelling: Monday), Private John: Neck wound;
- Rose, Private George: Killed;
- Stem (alternate spellings: Stein, Stern), Private Samuel: Shoulder wound;
- Weiss, Corporal Reuben: Wounds to both legs;
Company F:
- Eberhard (alternate spellings: Eberhart, Everhart), Corporal Augustus: Wounds to both legs;
- Fink, Private William: Thigh wound;
- King (alternate spelling: Ping), Private Charles: Arm wound;
- Moser (alternate spelling: Morser), Private Peter: Arm wound;
- O’Brien (alternate spelling: O’Brian), Private John: Gunshot wound to face;
Company G:
- Ambrum (alternate spellings: Ambron, Arnbrunn), Private Richard: Unspecified wound;
- Beidleman (alternate spelling: Beidelman), Private Jacob: Unspecified wound;
- Diehl, Private Benjamin: Killed at the Frampton Plantation;
- Fornwald, Private Reily M. (alternate spelling: Reilly Fernwald): Sustained shrapnel wounds to the head and groin; spent four weeks recuperating at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina before returning to duty;
- Hallmeyer, Private Max Joseph: Wounded in the right leg and back; discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability October 28, 1862; died from wound-related complications at home in 1869;
- Heil, Private John: Died from gunshot wound-related complications at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina, November 2, 1862;
- Hensler (alternate spelling: Hansler), Private William: Unspecified wound;
- Hoffert (alternate spelling: Huffert), Private Franklin: Unspecified wound;
- Kemmerer, Private Allen: Sustained gunshot wound(s), possibly to his right leg and/or left foot;
- Knappenberger, Private Jonas: Killed at the Frampton Plantation;
- Kramer, Private William H.: Unspecified wound;
- Kuhns (alternate spelling: Kuntz), Private John Henry: Killed at the Frampton Plantation;
- Moser (alternate spelling: Mazer), Private Franklin: Unspecified wound;
- Mickley, Captain Charles: Killed by fatal head shot;
- Oland, Private Franklin: Unspecified wound; died at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina, October 30, 1862;
- Raber (alternate spelling: Reber), Private George: Unspecified wound;
- Wieder (alternate spelling: Weider), Private David: Unspecified wound;
Company H:
- Bigger, Private Alexander: Unspecified wound; discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability, November 18, 1862;
- Bollinger (alternate spelling: Bolinger), Private Henry: Unspecified wound;
- Bupp (alternate spelling: Rupp), Private Augustus: Unspecified wound;
- Bryner, Private Jerome (alternate: Briner, James): Unspecified wound;
- Deitrick (alternate spellings: Deitrich), Private Peter: Killed near the Frampton Plantation;
- Gardner, Sergeant Reuben Shatto: Head and thigh wounds; recovered after a long period of convalescence and returned to duty;
- Geety, First Lieutenant William W. Geety: Initially listed as mortally wounded due to a severe head wound, he survived, following multiple surgeries; assigned to recruiting duty for the remainder of his military career so that he could continue his medical treatment;
- Handy, Private Jefferson (possibly: Haney, Thomas J.): Unspecified wound;
- Huggins (alternate spelling: Higgins), Private Samuel: Sustained gunshot wound to leg; died from wound-related complications at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, December 16, 1862;
- Idall, Private Comley: Sustained gunshot wound; died from wound-related complications at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, October 30, 1862;
- Johnson, Private Cyrus: Unspecified wound; discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability, December 16, 1862;
- Kingsborough, Private Robert Reid: Unspecified wound; discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability, October 26, 1862;
- Mullen, Private Patrick: Unspecified wound;
- Reeder (alternate spelling: Ruder), Corporal Daniel: Wounded in the arm, resulting in the amputation of that arm above the elbow and subsequent discharge on a surgeon’s certificate of disability, November 24, 1862;
- Reynolds, Orderly Sergeant George: Unspecified severe wound; died from wound-related complications at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, November 8, 1862;
- Robinson: Private Jason F.: Killed near the Frampton Plantation;
- Smith, Corporal David H.: Unspecified wound;
- Stambaugh, Private Henry: Killed near the Frampton Plantation;
- Stockslager, Corporal Peter W.: Unspecified wound;
- Waggoner, Private Jefferson: Killed near the Frampton Plantation;
Company I:
- Baudenschlager (alternate spellings: Bartenslager, Bondenschlager), Private John: Unspecified wound; discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability, October 29, 1862;
- Cole, Private James B.: Unspecified wound; discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability, November 15, 1862;
- Dreisbach, Private Edwin: Unspecified slight wound;
- Druckenmiller, Private Lewis (alternate given name: Daniel): Killed;
- Kramer, Private Daniel Joseph: Leg wound;
- Metz (alternate spelling; Mertz), Private Jeremiah: Killed;
Company K:
- Bischoff (alternate spelling: Bishop), Corporal John: Leg wound;
- Carl, Private Manoah: Foot wound;
- Fiesel, Private Gottlieb: Left side of head damaged and skull fractured by shrapnel from exploding artillery shell; physicians at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina were hopeful that he might recover since surgeries to remove bone fragments from his brain had been successful, but he contracted meningitis while recuperating and died at Hilton Head on November 9, 1862;
- Frederick (alternate spelling: Fredericks), Private Edwin: Head wound;
- Hertzog, Private Jacob: Sustained severe gunshot wound (“Vulnus Sclopet”) to his right elbow joint; treated initially in the field and at his regiment’s hospital before being admitted to the U.S. Army’s Hospital No. 1 at Beaufort, South Carolina for more advanced care; underwent surgery of his right arm October 26, 1862, his sutures were removed November 15; by December 15, 1862, he was dressed and walking around the grounds of the Beaufort hospital; sent north via the steamer Star of the South December 28, 1862; discharged from Fort Wood in the New York Harbor via a surgeon’s certificate of disability February 24, 1863;
- Junker, Captain George: Mortally wounded in action by a minie ball fired from a Confederate Army soldier’s rifle; died October 23, 1862 at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina; his remains were returned to his family in Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania for reburial;
- Knell, Private Frederick: Unspecified wound; discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability, May 9, 1863;
- Kolb (alternate spellings: Holb, Kolp), Private Hiram: Finger shot off; sent north for more advanced care, ultimately hospitalized at the Union Army’s general hospital in York, Pennsylvania;
- Kunfer (alternate spelling: Cunfer), Private Samuel: Unspecified wound;
- Landes, Private Abraham: Gunshot wound to breast; died from battle wounds, October 23, 1862, while being treated at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina;
- Louis (alternate spelling: Lewis), Private Joseph: Mortally wounded by gunshot; died October 23, 1862, while being treated at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina;
- Marder, Private Jacob (possibly Matter, Jacob): Stomach wound;
- McConnell, Private John: Killed;
- Miller, Private Louis: Wounded in both thighs;
- Reinert, Private Samuel: Right shoulder wound;
- Schiff (possibly Schimpf), Private John: Thigh wound;
- Schrank, Private William: Arm wound;
- Schuchard (alternate spelling: Shuckard), Private John: Mortally wounded; died from battle wounds October 24, 1862 while being treated at the Union Army’s post hospital at Hilton Head, South Carolina; and
- Strauss, Private Paul: Sustained artillery shell wounds to his right shoulder and back.
Battered, But Not Cowed
Described as “shattered” by one newspaper correspondent, the 47th Pennsylvania rested, recuperated, regrouped, and they soldiered on in their fight to preserve America’s Union and eradicate slavery nationwide. The only regiment from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to participate in the Union Army’s 1864 Red River Campaign, the 47th Pennsylvanians helped turn the tide of war firmly in the Union’s favor by re-engaging with the enemy time and again during Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign in the fall of that same year.
But they would always remember the cost of that terrible day in 1862. Surviving veterans of the 47th Pennsylvania never failed to honor the memory of their friends who never made it home, paying tribute through annual reunions of the regiment, which were typically held in October to mark the anniversaries of the Battle of Pocotaligo (October 22, 1862) and the Battle of Cedar Creek (October 19, 1864).
For the remainder of their lives, they continued to be steady, true and brave.
Surviving members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry at their 1923 reunion, Odd Fellows Hall, Allentown, Pennsylvania (public domain).
Sources:
- Burial Ledgers, in Record Group 15, The National Cemetery Administration, and Record Group 92, U.S. Departments of Defense and Army (Quartermaster General). Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: 1861-1865.
- Civil War Muster Rolls, in Records of the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs (Record Group 19, Series 19.11). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
- Peter and Freeman Haupt, in Card Records of Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, in Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General (Record Group 92, Microfilm M1845). Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Archives.
- Peter and Mary Haupt, in U.S. Civil War Widows’ Pension Files. Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
- Report of Col. Tilghman H. Good, Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry and Report of Col. Tilghman H. Good, Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry, commanding First Brigade, Tenth Army Corps, in The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Prepared Under the Direction of the Secretary of War, By Lieut. Col. Robert N. Scott, Third U.S. Artillery, and Published Pursuant to Act of Congress Approved June 16, 1880, Series I, Vol. XIV. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1885.
- “The Killed and Wounded in the Battle” (casualty list from the Battle of Pocotaligo). New York, New York: The New York Herald, October 29, 1862.
- “The Latest Telegraphic News: Advance of the Enemy to Pocotaligo—Repulsed by Our Forces.” Raleigh, North Carolina: The North Carolina Standard, October 28, 1862.
- “The Fight at Pocotaligo—Further Particulars.” Camden, South Carolina: The Camden Confederate, October 31, 1862.
- “The Recent Battles Near Charleston—The Rebels Driven to Pocotaligo Bridge,” in “The War News.” Baltimore, Maryland: The Baltimore Sun, October 30, 1862.
#003366 #47thPennsylvaniaInfantry #47thPennsylvaniaVolunteers #America #AmericanHistory #Army #CivilWar #History #Infantry #LehighCounty #Military #Pennsylvania #PennsylvaniaHistory #Pocotaligo #SouthCarolina #Union
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«Espero no volver a verte acá» — Internación, salud mental y aprendizaje
⏱️ Tiempo estimado de lectura: 28 minutos y 39 segundos.
Resumen
En cualquier otro contexto esa frase sonaría horrible. Para nosotras es más que un deseo, un anhelo. Es un símbolo de afecto, de amor, de compañerismo, de amistad, de experiencias compartidas.
Contenido
Pero mejor empezamos desde el principio: El 28 de enero decidí internarme de forma voluntaria en el área de salud mental de una clínica. La madrugada de ese día había tenido lugar mi tercer intento de suicidio. El primero y el segundo, habían ocurrido en mayo y junio de 2023 respectivamente. ¿Por qué? eso es algo que prefiero dejar para mí y personas cercanas. En fin, una semana después, me derivaron a un centro de salud integral en el que pasé un mes internada. Estas son mis experiencias y reflexiones.- Introducción
- El tabú del que todos hablan pero nadie entiende
- La cura que no existe
- El internado
- Estigmatización por defecto
- Desconexión total
- Terapia y tratamiento integral
- Nosotras y nosotres
- Una microsociedad sin acceso a internet
- Nuestras propias terapias grupales
- Ella es inocente aunque se demuestre lo contrario
- Hermanas de otras vidas
- Conclusiones finales
- Mimoterapia
- Aprendizajes
- Si llegaste hasta acá
- Gracias
Introducción
Nota: si sos un amigue/a y/o persona cercana y te estás enterando de esto ahora, porfa no te enojes. Mi mamá era la encargada de mi contacto con el exterior y no me pareció correcto que la atosiguen con mensajes o llamadas. El mismo era restringido como explico más abajo, y preocupar a tanta gente cuando en realidad no hubiese nada que pudieran hacer directamente, no me parecía correcto ni justo. Fue una decisión consciente que tomé incluso antes de ingresar allí. Habiendo aclarado esto, ahora sí, comencemos:
El tabú del que todos hablan pero nadie entiende
Hay un día de la prevención del suicidio, de la depresión, de la salud mental. Grandes corporaciones, empresas e instituciones de todo tipo hablan del tema. Incluso personas particulares tienen una opinión formada al respecto. Sin embargo, esto no sirve de nada si no se le da el enfoque que se merece.
Razones por las que una persona no debería suicidarse:
- Porque sos joven.
- Porque ya sos demasiado grande.
- Porque estás en la mitad de tu vida.
- Porque tenés toda una vida por delante.
- Porque tenés hijos.
- Porque tenés nietos.
- Porque tenés perros, gatos, tortugas, conejos.
- Porque tenés psicólogo y psiquiatra.
- Porque te falta Dios.
- Porque tenés trabajo, salud, algo de dinero, pareja, amor y/o el afecto de las personas que te quieren.
- Porque hay gente con problemas más graves.
- Porque siempre tenés que estar feliz y con una actitud positiva ante la vida.
- Porque te falta espiritualidad; sí, esto incluye a Dios, pero puede ser de amplio espectro: constelaciones familiares, bio descodificación, astrología, manifestar todo lo que querés lograr en tu vida para que se cumpla, el libro de autoayuda de tal o cual autor, creer en todo pero no estar segura de nada, no creer en nada pero creer que sabés la verdad de todo.
- Inserte aquí todas las otras razones que se le ocurran. Es un chiste, claro. Pero pueden dejarlas en comentarios.
Lo realmente importante no son las razones que una persona tenga para no deprimirse, hacerse daño o suicidarse. Lo importante es intentar que la persona aprenda a reconocer qué factores la llevaron a esos estados, y poder trabajar sobre ellos. Ya sea con medicación, con un tratamiento integral, con ambas, o con otras herramientas que le permitan aprender de sí misma y del resto para que dichas situaciones no vuelvan a ocurrir.
La cura que no existe
Lo primero que se debe comprender es que quienes pasamos por este tipo de estados, no somos personas convencionales mentalmente. Es decir, neurotípicas. Somos personas con factores patológicos psiquiátricos que debemos convivir con tratamiento integral durante gran parte de nuestra vida. Entonces, verlo desde una perspectiva individualista no solo es un error, sino que además causa más daño a la persona, haciéndole creer que puede con todo cuando en realidad no es así.
La culpabilidad intrínseca en este tipo de comentarios y argumentos que se genera en las personas afectadas, es altamente perjudicial, agravando el cuadro muchas veces, o impidiéndole incluso a la misma expresar sus emociones por miedo a los cuestionamientos. Existen limitaciones a lo que podemos y no podemos hacer. Y si nuestro entorno y nosotras mismas no entendemos esto, es muy probable que volvamos a recaer en ese tipo de crisis. ¿Por qué? Porque mucho que les pese a los dueños del nuevo egocentrismo new age, “nadie se salva solo”. El convivir en sociedad es una conducta básica e instintiva del ser humano como especie. La meritocracia y el avance de uno por sobre el otro, fomentando la productividad extrema, el cumplimiento de objetivos por encima de lo preestablecido y la falta de limitaciones que ponemos a nuestras propias actividades y responsabilidades, destruyen el inconsciente colectivo del trabajo comunitario y solidario en conjunto.
La supuesta horizontalidad en el trabajo y las relaciones sociales, no es más que una mera narrativa reduccionista que quita el foco y minimiza lo verdaderamente relevante para las personas: el acompañamiento del otro, la empatía, la comprensión, el entendimiento. El hecho de comprender que no es necesario sentir lo que al otro le pasa para poder ayudarlo. Sino simplemente, escuchar.
En un mundo tan hiperconectado y con la respuesta inmediata a solo un click de distancia, la prioridad de la misma es mucho más relevante que su contenido. Y no es algo solo de las redes sociales y las apps de mensajería. La inteligencia artificial también utiliza esta misma premisa, contemplando que además, ésta lo hace para ser condescendiente con el usuario. Es decir, no solo te dice lo que querés escuchar, sino que lo valida. Lo relevante para estas empresas es no perder la conexión con vos. A nadie le gustaría que una IA lo contradijera. En el caso de las personas, no es tan crítico, pero no por ello menos grave. Es decir, aunque las personas sí puedan y de hecho lo hacen, contradecirte, esto no significa que por el hecho de ser un argumento en contra este sea correcto. Y cuando de salud mental se trata, por lo general la mayoría está equivocada.
La baja tolerancia a la frustración, la depresión, los intentos de suicidio y desbordes emocionales se han incrementado muchísimo en los últimos años. El uso excesivo del celular, las redes sociales, las apps de mensajería y las aplicaciones de IA, ya es un debate abierto en especialistas de salud mental de todo el mundo. Es más, como se sabe, muchos países han tomado medidas al respecto, que como siempre ocurre en el caso de la política y los gobiernos, llegan tarde. La crisis está, y ya existe. ¿Qué podemos hacer para reparar a generaciones enteras dañadas psicológica y psiquiátricamente por empresas que ganan dinero con suscripciones, publicidad invasiva, el bombardeo constante de información, desinformación y contenido multimedia y demás? Desafortunadamente, no tengo una respuesta que deje contentos al diablo y a Dios.
El internado
Estigmatización por defecto
No sé si hace falta aclararlo antes de empezar. Pero la estigmatización que sufrimos quienes entramos en este tipo de centros, y los mismos en sí, es por demás preocupante e incluso infundada. Llamalo como quieras: manicomio, hospital psiquiátrico, hospital frenopático, centro de salud integral. No me interesa. Todos creen saber de antemano qué significa y a qué tipo de personas hace referencia. Rosalía en su canción Sakura dice: «Nunca me ha dado miedo la risa de un loco. Más miedo me da el que miente o el que ríe poco». Y quizás sea la forma más sencilla que tengo en estos momentos de explicarles lo que realmente importa de estos lugares. Cierto es que en ocasiones nos comparábamos con las presas de una cárcel, y hacíamos referencias a la canción de María Becerra en la serie «En el barro». Pero la realidad, no se parece ni por lejos a esa. Y esto quiero que quede claro desde el principio.
Desconexión total
Lo primero a destacar es que se me quitó el acceso a mi teléfono celular y a cualquier dispositivo con capacidad de conectarse a internet durante el tiempo que duró mi estadía allí. Al principio estuve en un box sin TV y con el transporte público pasando a toda hora por la avenida, ya que la ventana daba a la calle. Cuando me cambiaron a una habitación con otra compañera, sí podíamos ver la tele. Teníamos internet, pero estaba restringido a las apps que el codificador tenía por defecto, y no andaba muy bien que digamos. Es decir, que si no se tildaba, podíamos ver YouTube. Sin embargo, sí podíamos ver canales de cable. En cuanto a eso, mi compañera de cuarto miraba el canal de las novelas, así que para mí era suficiente.
Nuestro contacto con el exterior eran personas restringidas a las que podíamos llamar o que podían ir a visitarnos, pero que para ir debían sacar turno y ser aprobadas por mi equipo tratante, es decir, mi psicóloga y mi psiquiatra. El teléfono de línea tenía horarios limitados para recibir y hacer llamadas, y debíamos usarlo todas en ese horario.
Había dos sectores delimitados virtualmente, aunque eso no fue limitación para que ocasionalmente rompiéramos las reglas. En uno estaban las personas en observación. En el otro, las personas más estables. Cada sector tenía su propio office de enfermería y su propio teléfono. Pero además, el mismo teléfono era usado por las propias enfermeras para manejar asuntos relacionados con las pacientes: si nos llevaban ropa, elementos de higiene y demás.
Quienes venían a vernos, no podían subir a los sectores de las pacientes, sino que éramos nosotras quienes bajábamos a planta baja con una enfermera o un coordinador, y nos hacían pasar a una especie de patio en el que estábamos con la visita por el lapso de una hora aproximadamente, o a un consultorio si dicho patio estaba lleno.
Otro detalle: cualquier elemento que nos trajeran debía pasar la revisión de enfermería. Si se consideraba potencialmente peligroso para una misma o para terceras, no se habilitaba si no era necesario y era devuelto a la familia; y si era necesario, quedaba en enfermería cuando la paciente lo solicitara, pero con un uso limitado y vigilancia cada cierto tiempo para que no ocurriera nada grave. Ejemplo: una maquinita de depilar. Si en una hora no la devolvíamos, iban a ver cómo estábamos.
Terapia y tratamiento integral
No se trataba solo de darnos medicación. Teníamos horarios predefinidos para desayuno, almuerzo, merienda y cena. Teníamos un equipo tratante por cada una que consistía en un psicólogo o psicóloga y un o una psiquiatra que nos veían dos veces por semana. Un equipo de enfermeras, que iban alternando en guardias de ocho horas, con otras definidas para fines de semana y feriados.
Ah, quizás para varias personas resulte un detalle, pero claro está que los sectores estaban divididos por género. Las mujeres estábamos por un lado y los hombres por otro. No había contacto directo entre ambos, y no se suponía que lo hubiera. De hecho, los esporádicos contactos que hubo, fueron detectados por operadores, acompañantes terapéuticos, coordinadores y enfermeros.
Este grupo de contención, además, se encargaba de gestionar las cuatro bajadas al parque que teníamos por día. Para muchas era una razón para ir a fumar. Para quienes no fumábamos, charlar, escuchar música, tomar mate, o simplemente tomar sol y un poco de aire.
Entre las actividades predefinidas por el centro estaban: sesión de manicuría el sábado a la mañana a cargo de una de las operadoras, terapia grupal (con la que no me llevé muy bien con el moderador), asamblea de convivencia, que casi ni tuvimos porque el moderador estaba de licencia, arteterapia, musicoterapia (mis favoritas) y yoga y gimnasia, mis menos favoritas en ese orden XD. Yoga me gustaba, pero requería mucho trabajo físico al que no estaba acostumbrada. Igual gimnasia. El profe era muy exigente para mi gusto, pero estas son opiniones, no datos jajaj.
Musicoterapia fue la más interesante y la que más me permitía explayarme, en la que más salía a relucir mi creatividad y mi, quizás mi no tan bueno, pero sí suficiente talento para la música. Conocí y vi de primera mano instrumentos muy interesantes. Me gustaría encontrar actividades similares ahora que estoy afuera. Pero claro, eso con el paso del tiempo.
He de destacar a nivel personal también, que por mi condición de celiaquía me daban almuerzo y cena de Sintaxis, todo con postre incluido, por lo que la comida se transformó en un lujo, privilegio o derecho al que pocas veces tuve acceso, y por el que estoy muy agradecida. Claro que el postre estaba incluido en sí para todas. De hecho, a veces nos daban frutas en cualquiera de las cuatro comidas, lo que también era bueno. Excepto el mate, no había ninguna otra bebida permitida potencialmente perjudicial para la medicación y el tratamiento, como por ejemplo, las gaseosas y el café. Me parece lógico, pero no significa que no extrañara el segundo durante los primeros días. Por último en esta sección, la diferencia de horario entre la merienda y la cena nos resultaba a todas demasiado corta, pero las reglas eran así, y había que cumplirlas a rajatabla.
Nosotras y nosotres
No sé bien por dónde empezar a escribir esta parte. Hay tanto que decir que tengo cierto temor de omitir algo. Sin embargo, aún así decido intentarlo, ya que es para mí la parte principal de todo este artículo.
Una microsociedad sin acceso a internet
El hecho de que ninguna tuviese conexión con el mundo exterior ni acceso a redes sociales, fomentaba nuestra capacidad de buscar elementos que nos ayudaran a pasar el día. Me dejaron entrar un parlante Bluetooth chiquito con un cargador portátil y un pen drive USB, con el que pasaba los dos últimos discos de Rosalía de forma constante y hasta casi obsesiva. También nos hicimos fans de una radio de Jazz que está disponible en TuneIn también.
Jugábamos a las cartas con mis cartas en braille, jugaban al uno, al tutifruti, y hasta a la generala con unos dados de una compañera. Los juegos, el mate, y hasta las sesiones personales de maquillaje y peinado se compartían en pequeños pero significativos grupos que se iban formando. Claro está que en última instancia todas teníamos contacto entre sí, y aunque algunas mujeres con patologías más complejas para relacionarse tuviesen sus dificultades adicionales, esto no significaba que no hubiese alguna dispuesta a darle su apoyo de una forma u otra.
Nuestras propias terapias grupales
Estábamos allí cada una por patologías diferentes. Unas se iban, otras volvían, otras se quedaban. Pero había cosas en común que en la mayoría de los casos habíamos compartido: depresión, autolesiones, intentos de suicidio. ¿Qué feo hablar de eso, no? ¿Cómo hacés para hablarle sobre esos temas a una criatura de 18 años o a una señora de 70? Quizás no haga falta. Quizás quien tenga que entenderlo seas vos.
Porque no importaba la patología. Estábamos ahí porque no habíamos podido con nuestra realidad. Porque nos había sobrepasado. E intentar suicidarse no es querer morir. Es querer dejar de sufrir. Es al fin deshacerse de aquello que no podemos manejar sobre nuestro entorno, pero por sobre todas las cosas, sobre nosotras mismas. De ahí lo de las razones que expuse al principio.
A todas nos habían dicho las mismas cosas. Sin importar nuestra edad, nuestras experiencias de vida, nuestras patologías, nuestras realidades, nuestra condición social, o incluso en la sección especial de Narcóticos Anónimos que había, y que olvidé mencionar más arriba, se hablaba de esto también. La sociedad, como en muchos de los casos en los que me ha tocado presenciar por mis múltiples condiciones, primero discrimina, juzga, prejuzga, habla, opina, critica, acusa, minimiza y daña antes de empatizar, entender, escuchar, comprender, y si no se puede, abrazar y contener.
La mimoterapia era la más aplicada entre nosotras mismas. Cuando no sabés qué decir o qué hacer, a veces simplemente escuchar, abrazar, contener y quedarte callada, es mejor que cualquier palabra dicha. Contuve varias veces aunque no me correspondía. Me contuvieron varias veces aunque no les correspondía. Buscamos ayuda y la exigimos cuando la necesitábamos. Desafiamos a la autoridad, cuando detectábamos injusticias que sabíamos que con un poco de buena voluntad se podían solucionar. No siempre teníamos éxito. No siempre lográbamos lo que queríamos. Pero intentarlo y arriesgarse siempre es mejor que no hacer nada. Oscilábamos entre lo justo, lo injusto y lo correcto. Lo correcto no siempre me parecía justo. Sé que ya lo dije, pero esto fue algo que también tuve que aprender en esta terapia.
Ella es inocente aunque se demuestre lo contrario
Habría muchas hermosas personitas a las que debería mencionar. Hacerlo con solo dos me parece terriblemente injusto. Pero quiero que entiendan que si lo hiciera con todas, la gente no tendría ni ganas de leer esto. Así que vamos con la primera: tiene 18 añitos. No sé el porqué. Va, en realidad sí. La otra personita especial y mi psicóloga tratante me lo dijeron. Fue por mi sobre empatía. La idea de querer ayudar a todo el mundo sin importar si me estaba ayudando a mí misma con eso o no.
Ella tenía su equipo, su mamá, a su familia, y otras compañeras con las que contar. Pero la adopté como hijita postiza. Su patología era compleja y casi que desconocida para mí. No sabía muy bien qué estaba haciendo cuando empecé a protegerla de todo mal, y luego de todo bien XD, pero lo hice. Una de las cosas que tuve que entender es: “Kathy, no podés controlarlo todo”. Sin embargo, la escuché. Escuché lo que le pasaba, lo que necesitaba, y la ayudé como pude, haciendo conscientes a las demás de qué debíamos hacer para acompañarla.
Poco a poco empezó a mimetizarse conmigo, y no estando ya mi “Smithers” porque le habían dado el alta, pude entregarme a mi crapulencia.
Vamos, que no hice demasiado che. Además de quererla mucho, brindarle mi apoyo, mi contención, defenderla de cualquier cosa de la que se le acusara aunque sea verdad, creerle casi todas sus mentiras, hacer caso a su vocecita de niña inocente cuando las demás me decían que decía cosas horribles y palabrotas, y fomentar sus comentarios insidiosos y maliciosos sobre otras personas. ¿Qué tiene de malo todo eso realmente?
Lo cierto es que ella era inocente aunque se demuestre lo contrario. Y es que, al principio me resultaba una niña aparentemente ingenua a la que temía que se la pueda manipular. Poco a poco fue aprendiendo a que podía ella misma no dejar que manipulen a las que llegaron después. Y resultó mucho más inteligente y capaz de comprender al resto de lo que yo pensaba. Eso me pasa por querer prejuzgar y querer controlar todo. Mal hecho, Kathy. Sin embargo, sos una excelentísima personita, una de las grandes amigas que me traje conmigo junto con muchas otras. Te quiero muchísimo. Y espero que estés muchísimo mejor en el nuevo lugar en el que van a poder tratar ahora sí de forma correcta tu patología.
Hermanas de otras vidas
No sé por qué yo, no sé por qué ella, no sé por qué nosotras. Pero así sucedió. Más allá de todo lo que dije de la espiritualidad, las creencias actuales y toda esa parafernalia consumista y adaptada al supuesto bienestar personal, lo cierto es que aún hoy en día hay cosas a las que no les encuentro explicación lógica. Y quizás sea mejor así. “No todo lo que puede ser cuantificado cuenta, ni todo lo que cuenta puede ser cuantificado”. También dicen que “hay razones que la propia razón nunca entenderá”.
¿Cómo dos ñoñas tan parecidas y distintas entre sí se encontraron en el mismo lugar? No lo sé. Pero hubo tres cosas que nos unieron: el lugar, nuestro TDAH, y la última que decidimos no mencionar por nuestro pacto de hermanas. Logré conectar de forma impresionante con ella. Y le pasó lo mismo conmigo. Entró dos días después que yo y salió una semana antes. Sin embargo, ese tiempo juntas fue quizás uno de los más significativos de nuestras vidas.
Cuando nos poníamos a hablar de ñoñeces el resto se alejaba. Descubrí que soy una ñoña con todas las letras, que soy muy inteligente, y que muchas veces puedo resultar pedante. A veces tener una respuesta para todo no tiene sentido sin argumentos sólidos que la sostengan.
Me contuvo cuando lo necesité, la contuve cuando lo necesitó. Era la “Smithers” que no me dejaba robarle un dulce a una niña. Era la que me ponía límites cuando hacía chistes que, por lógica, nadie debería hacer en un hospital psiquiátrico, a menos que quisiera quedarse más tiempo. Era la que me decía “Katherine” cuando debía pararme el carro. Completábamos crucigramas a la velocidad de la luz.
Me estaba leyendo un libro muy hermoso sobre un personaje político que, más que un presidente, fue un militante de la vida. Libro que no pienso terminar sin que ella me lo lea. No, no. No intenten imaginar quién es dicho personaje. No es lo importante. Rompimos todas las reglas habidas y por haber. Me leía libros en mi habitación, yo iba a ver Los Simpson en la suya los sábados, y nos regalamos tesoros que valen mucho más que cualquier palabra dicha.
Nos regalamos la realidad de mostrarle a otra persona tal cual somos. Sin mentiras, con honestidad, con empatía, con respeto mutuo. Sabiendo que nada de lo que dijera una, haría enojar a la otra. Nos regalamos el arte de conocernos. La magia de estar ahí. En ese tiempo, en ese lugar. Y mientras nos preguntábamos: “¿Cuánto tiempo más llevará?”, disfrutábamos de cada momento juntas.
No, no. No se confundan. Ella no es como con otras personas especiales. No quiero ser su novia, ni me gusta de tal manera. Pero el amor que llegamos a tenernos en tan poco tiempo, trasciende las fronteras de lo que jamás había esperado que sucediera.
Y esto va para vos especialmente: no voy a negar que lloré cuando te fuiste. A pesar de lo feliz que estaba. Era como una felicidad triste, si tal cosa existe, ya que estaba segura de que era lo mejor para vos, y que íbamos a vernos afuera de todos modos. Pero lloré. Lloré como pocas veces he llorado cuando alguien se aparta de mi vida aunque sea por un tiempo tan corto.
Sí, sí. Las obsesiones y el apego emocional no son del todo buenos. Es decir, como me dijo alguien una vez, hay apegos buenos y apegos malos. Pero si hay algo que aprendí, es que puedo tener un apego bueno con vos, sin que ambas nos atosiguemos entre sí. ¿Por qué? Bueno, resulta más fácil cuando no tocás mucho esa cosa conocida como celular. No le doy mucha pelota y lo bueno es que va a seguir siendo así. Acostumbrarse un mes a estar sin eso, me dio la seguridad para entender que no necesito ni tenerlo todos los días en la mano, ni tenerlo a cada rato siquiera. Poco a poco iré activando algunas cosas, pero otras quedarán desactivadas para siempre.
Por supuesto, eso nada tiene que ver con nosotras. Te lo cuento porque es algo que hablamos y que pienso sostener por mi parte. Anotaré los números de las chicas que me los escribieron en braille con la impresora manual braille que compré por Mercado Libre. Y bueno, ya que estamos, les dejo un muy buen cargador portátil que le recomiendo a todo el mundo y con el cual, la batería del parlantito Bluetooth, me duraba cinco días. Mentira. Era tener el cargador conectado constantemente para que eso ocurriera. Pero al fin y al cabo, el cargador es lo importante XD.
No, no. No te confundas. No estoy haciendo publicidad pagada. Y perdón por incluir esto en una sección que iba exclusivamente para vos. Es que me parecieron productos tan útiles y necesarios, que no pude resistir el impulso de compartirlos. En fin, nuestra despedida ese día que faltamos a gimnasia fue de las charlas más inteligentes e interesantes que tuve con persona alguna.
Te extraño. Sí. Te extraño. Pero también me di cuenta después de que te fuiste, cuánto me extrañaba a mí también. Y quiero seguir sosteniendo eso unos días más. Y es que, volviendo a mí, mucho ha cambiado allí desde que fuimos separadas. Lo cierto es que la sociedad deprime, y el mal no se redime sin cariño, y que si no es por esas personas que acercan su alegría, sería más amargo todavía. Quizás volver a la naturaleza, o al menos a lo analógico, sería nuestra mejor riqueza. Allí podemos querernos y amarnos libremente, y ya no habrá ningún zoológico de gente. Si acaso, un jardín de gente que haya sido cultivado y regado con amor. O quizás, y solo quizás, de alguna forma por pequeñita que sea, podríamos hacerlo nosotras.
Te quiero muchísimo. Hasta prontito, Kathy — Katherine.
Conclusiones finales
No sé si escribí todo lo que quería, o si terminó siendo más de lo que debería. No sé cuánta gente va a leer esto hasta el final, y realmente no me importa. Con que una sola persona entienda de forma favorable lo que intenté explicar en este enorme post, estaré satisfecha. No escribo para hacerme famosa. No escribo para llegar a las grandes ligas, ni para ser influencer ni nada que se le parezca. Sí es cierto que promuevo mis proyectos y aplicaciones en cuanto puedo, pero también lo es que además de traerme algún beneficio propio, la idea es que sea de utilidad para el resto.
Habiendo dicho esto, vamos a continuar con este principio del fin.
Mimoterapia
Sí. Las mencioné a ellas dos. Pero no por ello las demás deberían sentirse ofendidas. Por favor, se los pido. No es más que una elección que me vi obligada a hacer debido a las circunstancias que rodean hoy en día este tipo de contenido en texto. Pero quiero que sepan que las quiero mucho también. Que algunas llegaron a ser no solo grandes compañeras, sino grandes amigas. Personitas maravillosas con las que quiero juntarme afuera para charlar de la vida, tomar un par de mates y reírnos de cuando estuvimos internadas en un hospital psiquiátrico todas juntas. Ah, y no se olviden de ir a comer a Sintaxis, ¿eh?
A las que se fueron antes, quiero contarles que seguimos manteniendo la cadena de incluir y dar la bienvenida a las nuevas. Que les damos su lugar, charlamos y vemos los puntos en común para generar espacios y hábitos agradables para compartir. Charlar de cualquier cosa con mates de por medio y jugar a algún juego, ya es una constante entre todas, y lo seguirá siendo, así que por eso no se preocupen. La tradición se mantiene viva e intacta como nuestras predecesoras la instauraron.
Aprendizajes
No puedo controlarlo todo. No puedo sentirme culpable por cosas que escapan a mi control. A veces lo justo o lo injusto, pueden ser lo correcto. Y a veces no. Debo poner límites. Debo ponerme a mí por encima de cualquier otra persona. Porque como lógica existencialista, si no me cuido a mí, si yo no estoy bien conmigo misma, o al menos aceptablemente, como ahora, no puedo cuidar a nadie más. Ni siquiera a mi gatita Kata, quien se bancó estoicamente un mes sin mí. Actualización: al momento de publicar este artículo, la susodicha ya aplicó su venganza exitosamente. Fue muy inteligente y esperó a que solo estuviésemos las 2 para realizar su malévolo plan. Admiro con gran interés, la enorme paciencia que tuvo, esperando el momento justo para hacer de las suyas. Pero mejor sigo con lo que venía diciendo.
No debo ser tan impulsiva. A veces la respuesta inmediata no es la correcta. Tengo que hablar además de escuchar. En ciertas ocasiones, no dejo que otras personas metan bocado. Soy muy inteligente, sí. Pero eso no me hace mejor ni peor que nadie. Se puede aprender de cualquier persona, desde un niño pequeño hasta de una persona de cien años o más. Lo importante no es la edad, sino lo que la otra persona pueda aportar a tu vida, siempre y cuando sea con respeto y escuchándote a su vez, como ya dije.
No es mi culpa si no sé cómo ayudar a alguien. No es mi culpa, ni la tuya, si no supiste o no pudiste ayudarme. No es nuestra culpa si decidimos alejarnos porque no podíamos llegar a un acuerdo. Y esto es muy importante: no es nuestra culpa si no podemos o no supimos cómo ayudar a una persona con depresión, autolesiones o incluso intentos de suicidio, o suicidios directamente. No lo es. No hay nada que podamos hacer. Porque hay herramientas y recursos que por más que lo intentemos, no tenemos.
La primera ayuda tiene que venir de una misma. Si yo hubiese entrado a la internación con una actitud negativa sobre la misma, me hubiese resultado mucho más difícil salir. Pero entré por mi propia voluntad. Entré y me quedé no solo porque salir o escapar me sería perjudicial, sino además porque era la única salida. Porque fue el primer pensamiento que me vino a la cabeza cuando estaba a punto de terminar con mi propia vida. Entré porque sabía que necesitaba ayuda que por fuera no podía obtener.
No sabía hasta entonces en qué consistía esa ayuda realmente. Pero era mi último caballo de batalla. El último bastión de resistencia que se me presentó antes de rendirme definitivamente. Y lo aproveché. Y me sirvió. No sé si soy o no una mejor persona. Pero sí sé al menos, que desde ahora, intentaré serlo primero conmigo. Y luego con los demás.
Si llegaste hasta acá
La frase del título quizás se sobreentiende a estas alturas. Pero significa básicamente que esperamos no volver a vernos ninguna de nosotras, ni los profesionales a nosotras, en ese lugar de nuevo. Significaría que no volvimos a tener una recaída o una crisis tan fuerte como para volver. Que el tratamiento funcionó para ayudarnos a manejar mejor, a partir de ahora, los factores que nos llevaron allí en primera instancia.
También he de destacar que decidí no nombrar a personas directamente para cuidar su privacidad. Y por esa misma razón habrá referencias que solo yo y esas personas entendamos. Lo siento. Esta es una carta para todos, pero en especial para ellas y para mí.
Gracias
Muchas gracias por leer hasta el final. No solo es muy valioso para mí, sino que te invito a compartirlo para que sea de ayuda y aprendizaje también para otros. No tengo todas las respuestas. Es más, a veces se me presentan aún más preguntas. Pero sí puedo contar lo que viví y lo que aprendí. Y sí puede resultarle quizás informativo a alguien que esté pasando por lo mismo, o a alguien que tenga algún familiar en dichas situaciones y no sepa cómo manejarlo.
Mis agradecimientos a mi mamá, a mi prima, a mi familia en general que no dejaron de preocuparse ni un momento, a mi hija mayor que se “ocupó de la casa” (las comillas son chiste XD), a todas las personas cercanas que estuvieron desde el principio, a mis amigos, al equipo de profesionales del centro en su totalidad, a mis amigas que me llevo y a mis compañeras con las que quizás no tuve tanta afinidad, a mi criaturita menor por el hermoso termo que me dibujó para el mate, a Kata, a los dos gatos que daban vueltas por el centro, a la rata que asustó a mi ami-hermana y que consiguió que esta luego bajara al parque y buscara una ramita para ahuyentarla si el pobre roedor volvía a aparecer 🤣, a mi psicóloga, a mi psiquiatra, a quien no le sirve porque “siempre miente más que habla”, y a todas, pero todas las personitas que formaron parte de esta extraña aventura.
Se las quiere, se las aprecia, se les tiene cierto afecto o cariño, o “nuestra relación será distante cuanto mucho”. A los que entendieron todas las referencias, a los que no entendieron ninguna, a los que están de acuerdo, a los que no, a los que quieren contradecirme en todo, a los que no, a los grandes desastres mundiales (Perlas), a Jesús, a Alá, a Buda, los amo a todos. Ah, pero más amo a Rosalía. Y si por alguna casualidad llega a leer esto, quiero casarme con vos. No, no es una obsesión, y no estoy loca. Em, bueno… la verdad es que…
¡Adiós soperútanos!
#acompañamiento #depresión #desconexiónDigital #empatía #experienciaPersonal #hospitalPsiquiátrico #InteligenciaArtificial #intentoDeSuicidio #internaciónPsiquiátrica #neurodivergencia #prevenciónDelSuicidio #redesSociales #SaludMental #saludMentalEnArgentina #suicidio #TDAH #terapia #Testimonio #tratamientoIntegral #vínculosHumanos - Introducción
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Saunders and Dear Hollow’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025 By Steel DruhmSaunders
Yes, folks and loyal AMG readers and devotees, another year is nearly done and dusted. As per tradition, the time has come to share reflections and recommendations from another eventful year. Personally, 2025 threw down some rough moments and life challenges, navigating a spike in anxiety-driven mental and physical health concerns. Previously, I have mentioned how much AMG has grounded me over the years, keeping my focus and motivation on track when other parts of life navigate turbulence, stress, or uncertainty. This has proven especially pivotal this year and highlights the importance of contributing in some small way to this amazing blog and how much it means to me.
Highlights… After a few lean years post-pandemic on the gig front, as an avid concertgoer, 2025 proved productive for getting my mojo back for live music. I caught Karnivool in action for the first time in over a decade, ripping through infectious prog metal anthems and impressive new jams from their highly anticipated album set to drop in early 2026. An unexpected gig was a solo show in my hometown from none other than former Fear Factory legend Burton C Bell, performing in a local dive venue. Ploughing through career classics and some solo material, the setlist offered up gems like “Drive Boy Shooting,” “Scapegoat,” “Scumgrief,” and “Replica.” It was a nostalgic joy.
Meanwhile, after years of stubbornly jaded neglect, I finally bit the bullet and witnessed Metallica live. Probably a couple of decades too late, however, as an impressionable young’un raised on early Metallica, it was a cool experience to finally see the aging juggernaut in a stadium setting that will remain in the memory bank for years to come. A couple of days later, I once again caught the mighty Opeth at the iconic Sydney Opera House with quality support from Caligula’s Horse, before rounding out the year by finally seeing Dying Fetus live in an extra beefy triple bill including Ashen and 200 Stab Wounds. Good times indeed….
Big thanks to everyone for keeping this mighty blog running and cogs turning. From the ever-growing readership and awesome AMG community, through the entire, recently beefed-up writing crew, inspiring colleagues and all-around awesome people, to the higher powers (Steel Druhm, Angry Metal Guy, Sentynel, Doc Grier, and all the other editors) for their extra behind-the-scenes work whipping us into line. Cheers all to a safe, happy, and healthy 2026.
#ish: Green Carnation // A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia – After being mesmerized by Green Carnation’s timeless opus Light of Day, Day of Darkness many years ago, I never really expanded my listening beyond that widely regarded masterpiece. Then comeback album Leaves of Yesteryear dropped in 2020 and turned me from a casual listener into an avid fan of their work. A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia signals a long-awaited return and the first part of a planned trilogy from the seasoned Norwegian veterans of classy, mood-driven progressive metal. Admittedly, this album didn’t reach the dizzying heights or quite gain the traction of its predecessor. Nor does it disappoint, adding another finely crafted chapter in Green Carnation’s enduring career, while building excitement for the two albums to complete the trilogy. Meticulously crafted and chock full of emotive, silky, and delightfully catchy gems, A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia is another top-shelf prog metal jam.
#10. Caustic Wound // Grinding Mechanism of Torment – Back in 2020, Seattle’s Caustic Wound emerged from the muck and unleashed a gnarly ball of unvarnished deathgrind rage courtesy of debut, Death Posture. Due to the endearing old school charms and brawling, stomping attack, Death Posture left a lasting impression, amping anticipation for their long-awaited return on sophomore slab, Grinding Mechanism of Torment. Though a little less refined and losing a smidgen of the debut’s grimy charm, Caustic Wound otherwise pounded out wickedly crunchy, buzzsawing deathgrind with violent glee, infectiousness, and subtle variety to keep you coming back for more. The album’s tight construction and propulsive performances deftly harness the controlled chaos and blasty, groove-laced fun, as the likes of “Drone Terror,” “Advanced Killing Methods,” and “Blood Battery” attest.
#9. Phantom Spell // Heather & Hearth – One of the purest and nostalgia-driven prog releases of 2025, the sophomore album from Seven Sisters singer/guitarist Kyle McNeill was a progtastic delight, wielding old-timey, ’70s prog feels with a transportive, fantastical flair. Phantom Spell crafted a timeless, epic yet remarkably fresh experience, despite the obvious devotion to progressive rock legends and eras of the past. Dueling guitar leads, rollicking organ, and tight, expressive rhythms shine across a superbly performed and produced opus. For all the musical smarts, clever progressive arrangements, and technical showmanship, McNeill’s songwriting and powerful vocals are spot on, resulting in a nuanced though hugely hooky and focused collection, infused with folk and classic heavy metal elements, complementing the classic progressive rock core. Bookended by two spectacular epics (‘The Autumn Citadel” and stunning, heart-wrenching melodies of the closing title track), Heather & Hearth is equally compelling in its more compact, punchy forms (“‘Evil Hand,” “Siren Song”).
#8. Barren Path // Grieving – Grind delivered big time in 2025, with numerous high-quality releases to absorb. None quite delivered the hammer blow impact of the debut LP from Barren Path, featuring Gridlink alumni, including grind shredding extraordinaire Takafumi Matsubara. It’s amazing what can be achieved in a manic thirteen minutes of calculated mayhem and precision deathgrind madness. Barren Path shares traits with Gridlink’s razor-sharp precision and abrasive intensity; however, it refuses to be pigeonholed or cast into the shadows of the Gridlink legacy. Beefy production, coupled with a prominent death metal influence, riffs to burn, gripping performances, and techy edge, Grieving loudly announced Barren Path as the next innovative heavy hitter to take the grind scene by storm. All too brief if utterly compelling, I’m excited to see what this elite line-up can cook up next as they set about creating their own unmatched legacy.
#7. Changeling // Changeling – For the second time in my 2025 top ten, an album surpasses the hour-length mark, often questionable territory as far as optimal album length. The prolific Tom Geldschläger (aka Fountainhead) hired an army of high-profile musicians and contributors to bring his elaborate progressive death metal vision to vibrant life with an overstuffed and incredibly entertaining, wildly ambitious debut opus. Amongst the core lineup, Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) lends his unique vocals, Virvum’s Arran McSporran features on fretless bass, and powerhouse Mike Keller (ex-Fear Factory, Raven, Malignancy) mans the kit, while a stack of instruments, choirs, and guest musicians add further dimensions and intricacies to the color palette. Changeling is guilty of overreaching on occasions, and the whole thing is an overstimulating example of excess. And though far from perfect, Changeling is nevertheless an astonishingly complex, progressive, and technical marvel. Its bombastic, adventurous gallop, slick songcraft, earwormy hook,s and otherworldly melodies conjure up a hugely inventive and endlessly fun platter.
#6. Turian // Blood Quantum Blues – Generally, I tread carefully from anything core-related in the realms of hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore. I am not opposed to each style, but usually it takes a certain something to win me over. Another winning recommendation from the flippered one, Blood Quantum Blues, the third LP from Seattle metallic hardcore merchants Turian, found the band toying and upending their sound in wonderfully creative and ambitious fashion. Like other genre-busting albums, such as The Shape of Punk to Come and Miss Machine, Turian fuck with the conventions of their metallic hardcore. Shattering boundaries by lacing their signature sound with sharply integrated elements of rock, electronics, sludge, and grind, whipped into a grooving, raw smackdown and addictive delight, Turian pulls no punches and pushes their songwriting creativity to the limit. The line-up nails the newfound songwriting versatility through tight, explosive performances, topped by the raw intensity and charismatic vocals of Vern Metztli-Moon, who channels deeply personal, trauma-informed reflections of her Native American heritage, with vigor and rage.
#5. Retromorphosis // Psalmus Mortis – Carrying on the timeless legacy of legendary Swedish tech death wrecking crew Spawn of Possession, Retromorphosis emerged featuring the bulk of the SoP line-up and a rejuvenated sound, both familiar and energized enough to craft a new chapter of tech death excellence. Herein lies the key to the album’s success. SoP was such a special and unique entity in the tech death field. Retromorphosis pulls the signature songwriting components and twists and contorts them into their own slick interpretation, without simply rehashing past glories. Psalmus Mortis proved to have significant staying power since dropping early in the year, even amidst a pretty stacked year for quality death and tech death albums. Retromorphosis decorate their knotty, fluid and aggressive compositions with tasteful synth work, symphonic flourishes and bedazzling solos, whether charting smartly progressive, labyrinthine terrain (“The Tree,” “Machine”), and thrashy, warped tech death (“Aunt Christie’s Will,” “Vanished,” “Retromorphosis”).
#4. Terror Corpse // Ash Eclipses Flesh – After already delivering a killer grind opus earlier in the year, Terror Corpse got the creative juices flowing again in dropping a full-length debut of immense power and old school grit. Featuring a power-packed lineup featuring past and present members of acts including Malignant Altar, Oceans of Slumber, Necrofier, and Insect Warfare, Terror Corpse comes seasoned with death metal wisdom and experience. Despite a lack of innovation, Terror Corpse winds back the clock and transcends the typical old school death metal hordes. Injecting venomous strains of grind, death-doom, sinister atmospheres, and gut-churning brutality into beefy, riff-driven songs that fondly recall death metal’s glory days, Terror Corpse forge ahead into the here and now with their own character and inspired songwriting. Topped by a bevy of instantly gratifying, oozing riffs and Dobber Beverly’s elite drumming, Ash Eclipses Flesh is a gripping old school death experience.
#3. Dax Riggs // 7 Songs For Spiders – The return of Dax Riggs, and by extension the most unexpected re-emergence of the legendary Acid Bath, were surely two of the most heartwarming music moments of 2025. As a longtime devotee of both Dax and Acid Bath, I had begun worrying that Dax’s music-making days had passed as he slunk into the background and essentially dropped off the radar for the best part of fifteen years. While holding out slim hope Acid Bath will decide to cross our shores, I am stoked Dax and crew are getting the long-overdue credit and exposure they deserve. Though not strictly metal, Dax’s comeback album, and first since 2010’s Say Goodnight to the World, marks a triumphant and warm, comforting return from an underground icon. 7 Songs for Spiders delivered the goods, as Dax and friends dropped an album with a familiar, nostalgic feel that refuses to rest on its laurels. Riggs’ defining vocals sound as vital and deliciously smoky as ever, weaving signature morbid tales, deadly hooks, and earworm melodies through subdued yet deceptively hefty and bluesy folk-doom ditties.
#2. Messa // The Spin – It would be an oversimplification to describe Messa’s fourth LP as a streamlined version of the enigmatic Italian band’s doom-centric formula. Each album has impressed in its own unique way, adding intoxicating twists and charm to continually evolve and refresh their sound. The Spin carries over elements of their past works and character-defining idiosyncrasies, yet feels like Messa’s most laser-focused, accessible, and direct album to date, and also one of their best. While I’ve enjoyed each of the band’s prior works, The Spin is the band’s most efficient and instantly gratifying, and addictive album. Easily Messa’s shortest opus, The Spin, uncorks killer tune after tune. Sumptuous melodies and rich textures color blockbuster doom bangers (“At Races,” “Fire on the Roof”), residing alongside atmospheric, jazz-dappled charmers (“The Dress”), bluesy, emotive slow burners (“Immolation”), and brooding, psych-tinged doom (“Thicker Blood”).
#1. Tómarúm // Beyond Obsidian Euphoria – Weirdly enough, my number one picks often don’t materialize as obviously as one might expect. This has largely been a trend throughout my tenure here at Angry Metal Guy. In all honesty, any of the top three could have been interchangeable in the top spot, but I reserved top honors for the spectacular second LP from Atlanta band Tómarúm. All the more surprising due to sleeping on their well-received debut, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria smacked me upside the cranium with an explosion of creativity and ambitious songcraft, encompassing elements of progressive black, melodic death, and tech death bombast. It’s an overly ambitious, sometimes slightly messy masterwork. Yet the eye-watering 68 minutes largely warrant its exhaustive length. Sure, shrewd editing here and there may have tightened things up. However, the whole experience is so consistently gripping and superbly written and performed that minor quibbles are squashed well below the surface. This fully loaded, immersive masterwork sparkles and scorches through tremendously crafted, multi-faceted compositions, including standout epics, “Shallow Ecstasy,” “Shed This Erroneous Skin,” and “Silver, Ashen Tears,” nestled harmoniously against the blunt force discordance of ‘Blood Mirage,” and compact progressive fireworks of closer “Becoming the Stone Icon (Obsidian Reprise).”
Honorable Mentions:
- Sigh // I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV – Skepticism of the dangerous game of the re-record was swept aside in a stunning reimagining of their 2007 classic.
- Plasmodulated // An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell – The album title says it all. Delightfully scabby, grooving old school death, seasoned with quirky Voivodisms.
- Igorrr // Amen – When seeking that taste of batshit crazy experimentation and avant-garde lunacy, Amen proved a reliable tonic. A challenging, though freakishly creative and addicting listen.
- Blood Vulture // Die Close – A grungy, Gothy slab of doom designed by talented Two Minutes to Late Night host Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall). The future appears bright, judging by this highly addictive debut, which garnered lots of rotation throughout the year.
- Vittra // Intense Indifference – Hugely impressive melodic death platter from Swedish up-and-comers Vittra. Drawing inspiration from their homeland’s classic melodeath past, Vittra injects oodles of thrashy energy, inspired axework, and hooky songcraft, bringing a fresh edge to a retro sound.
- Dormant Ordeal // Tooth and Nail – Perhaps a little late on this one, however, after spending considerable time with Dormant Ordeal’s latest opus, the hype and critical praise are indeed justified—a fine example of brutal, crushing Polish blackened death.
- Species // Changelings – Admittedly, like various other overlooked gems, I didn’t spend as much time as I’d like with Changelings. But catching up has been a blast. Species brought the weird on this wacky, proggy technical thrash thrill ride, not to be missed.
Disappointment o’ the Year:
Sadly, we lost a number of metal legends in 2025, headlined by three individual legends that had a profound impact on me over the years. There will never be a larger-than-life frontman/metal icon like Ozzy Osbourne. While his demise was not unexpected, it left a huge void and an incredible legacy never to be matched. At the Gates and all-around iconic Swedish vocalist Tomas Lindberg sadly passed away following a horrible illness, while former Mastodon guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds tragically passed in a motor vehicle accident. Rest in Peace legends….
Non-Heavy Picks (snapshot):
- Aesop Rock (Black Hole Superette & I Heard It’s a Mess There Too), clipping., Bon Iver, Miguel.
Song o’ the Year:
Messa – “Fire on the Roof” – Narrowing down a definitive song o’ the year candidate is often a futile task. Twenty-twenty-five was no exception. Rather than overthink or analyze the situation, I locked in one of the year’s most addictive, replayable gems from Messa’s stunning fourth LP, The Spin.
Dear Hollow
Welcome to the end of 2025! We at AMG hope the year has been kind to you—that your lives are filled with love, your hearts with joy, and our world with peace. I hope that you have found your people and have those you can lean on. If we have ever given you a voice, a platform, or just love and support when you need it, then we have done our jobs.
It feels redundant to say that this year has been a roller coaster, but 2025 pulled no punches. In May, the Hollow household welcomed a second kiddo, a boy, into the fold. He is a supremely easy, endlessly happy little guy, but the stresses of parenthood—and especially of two kids—are a daily lesson of “bend, don’t break.” Our daughter is now four, and learns new things and says sassy things day in and day out, enjoying gymnastics and dancing, and singing around the house for fun.
My reviewing has remained steady this year, if not a little less than the usual. Between parenting two kids, working as a high school English teacher to increasingly apathetic kids, working on a noir crime novel that has paid dividends in complexity (and all the noir jazz my ears can handle),1 continuing to unpack my upbringing and trauma and how they all have affected my views on family, relationships, and self-love, you can imagine how wild each day has been. But I’ve somehow managed it, and the end of the year is here to celebrate it.
Special shout-outs to those who have been instrumental in my journey this year: the ineffable and tireless dream team of Steel Druhm and Angry Metal Guy, the genre-confusing Dolphin Whisperer, my fellow Whitechapel apologists Iceberg and Alekhines Gun, and those who have been supportive all year (Thus Spoke, Killjoy, and Mystikus Hugebeard). Couldn’t have done it without y’all.
To the metal!
#ish. Kalaveraztekah // Nikan Axkan – Subject of a rollicking Rodeö, Mexico’s Kalaveraztekah’s balance of cosmic Aztec atmosphere and cutthroat death metal is sublime. Riffs for days balanced by an experimental madness that conjures cosmic destruction and rebirth, Nikan Axkan recalls the antics of Hell:on, folk influence only sharpens its attack and injects an atmosphere of foreboding. Refusing both gimmick and total immersion, Nikan Axkan is riffy, fun, and evocative, made for a mosh-pit and a soundtrack for the destruction of the Five Suns.
#10. La Torture des Ténèbres // Episode VIII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor – If you’re like MalteBrigge, you’ll probably end up with tinnitus and a sprained shoulder once Episode VIII kicks in, but Ottawa one-woman raw black metal/noise outfit La Torture des Ténèbres returns to the bleak space-faring atompunk of its 2016 debuts alongsdie the dystopic rage that pervades more recent efforts – moments of peace adding dimension and texture. La Torture des Ténèbres is about as ambitious as raw black metal can get.
#9. Imperial Triumphant // Goldstar – Goldstar is Imperial Triumphant’s most accessible album, the NYC trio’s signature brand of death/black and jazz funneled into a straightforward art-deco-themed brutalizing. It’s no less adventurous, always punishing, and will stay with you long after your ears stop ringing from the sound of New York City taxis and decadent skyscrapers displayed in extreme metal format: more straightforward, more melodic. While its recent predecessors are an affluent nightlife, Goldstar offers a sunbathed New York City.
#8. Howling Giant // Crucible & Ruin – Nashville’s stoner outfit Howling Giant reconciles the melodies and riffs, exploratory songwriting, and mammoth hooks gathering in each movement of Crucible & Ruin. Featuring hints of knuckleheaded sludge and proggy chord progressions, it’s an album that keeps your attention for forty-eight minutes. New member Adrian Zambrano offers more atmosphere and layers of guitar riffs and melodies to go with the surefire dichotomy of instrumental heft and vocal ethereality. Crucible & Ruin is an experience of fun, subtlety, and above all, riffs.
#7. Geese // Getting Killed – Perhaps the vocals of NYC’s Geese don’t bother me because of Cameron Winters’ similarity to singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan,2 so the album’s sonic anxiety of noise rock, post-punk, country, and blues that creep in and out like lovers who never stay does not bother me. Getting Killed feels viciously aggressive, venomously satirical, and fluid and elastic in its humble movements. Geese are overrated Pitchfork-bait, sure, but an overrated hill to get killed upon regardless.
#6. Structure // Heritage – Steel Druhm’s the real masochist for low and slow, but the balance of sad death/doom and devastating funeral doom in Netherland’s Structure is special. The guitar work in the mammoth riffs, melodic leads, and climactic solos has just a much of a voice to contribute as Pim Blankenstein’s formidable roars—as if griever and grieved converse in both melancholy and rage. Heritage is Structure paying homage to doom metal’s contemplation while paying its dues in death metal’s viciousness – pure devastation.
#5. Patristic // Catechesis – Catechesis is born out of the “impending shadow of the cross.” As tumultuous as the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the church and pagan rebellion, the black/death of Rome’s Patristic assaults the ears with tension, fury, and reverence. The first act is the holy war, a rationalization of steel and zealotry, while the second is the way the soldier tells it to his children, the lessons and cautions borne of blind faith and its devastation. Cathechesis is not only fiery sermons and unending blasphemy, but regret and meditation.
#4. In Mourning // The Immortal – I’ve loved Sweden’s In Mourning since their 2010 album Monolith: balancing chuggy guitars, progressive songwriting, and the slightest hints of doom (such as in 2008’s Shrouded Divine). The Immortal is an album that balances The Bleeding Veil’s darker elements, Garden of Storms’ signature melody, and The Weight of Oceans’ iconic patience. The Immortal offers yearning melodies and chords alongside vicious riffs, and melodeath has never sounded so good.
#3. Yellow Eyes // Confusion Gate – New York’s Yellow Eyes’ Confusion Gate conveys a black metal place better than most, an environment teeming with life. Like the Romantic Sublime, it maintains a crystalline beauty, like a light scattering through broken glass, and a madness born of terror—at the source of the light. Here is the crux of it, from poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s “The First Elegy”;
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angels’
Orders? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly to his heart: I’d be consumed
in his more potent being. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we can still barely endure,
and while we stand in wonder it coolly disdains
to destroy us. Every Angel is terrifying.#2. Igorrr // Amen – Gautier Serre’s work with Igorrr has rarely felt bad, but Amen evolves it from his typical standard. You get the typical apeshit antics in the midsection, but a full band fleshes out the jewel-encrusted skeleton for a fully, nearly spiritual experience. Minimalist compositions build upon a breakbeat before cracking into a full choir and death metal experience, while an overwhelming onslaught of insanity reminds us who exactly we’re listening to. Amen is hella fun, as expected, but also something we can take seriously.
#1. Primitive Man // Observance – Primitive Man is the heaviest band on the planet. While I’ve appreciated the Denver trio’s pitch-black approach to death metal laced with noise, doom, and sludge—from afar—Observance booked me in with upbeat tempos and a surprising melody. It swallows you whole like any good Primitive Man album ought to, but the devotion to deteriorating songwriting and weaponized noise. The atmospheric death/sludge counterpart to the riffs of Warcrab, for instance, Primitive Man offers a sound like no other—and it’s the best of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
- The Acacia Strain // You Are Safe From God Here – While incorporating the same ol’ hardcore beatdown you expect from the Massachusetts deathcore OGs,3 denser tones make for higher blasphemy. Simple math, trust me.
- Ethel Cain // Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You – Leaving behind the more experimental and darker tones in noise/drone counterpart Perverts, a more atmospheric and contemplative direction showcases the singer-songwriter’s nostalgic and gentle storytelling that does not shy away from darkness.
- Changeling // Changeling – While lacking the darkness and weight of Ingurgitating Oblivion, guitarist Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger is granted fretless freedom in a tech-death album whose lightness and amorphousness guide ethereal constructions of proggy sensibilities. More Dolphin Whisperer fare but still dope as hell.
- Author & Punisher // Nocturnal Birding – Tristan Shone releases an industrial sludge album that hits like an anvil, casting aside the more atmospheric tendencies for a headbanging good time, amplified by the crunch of new guitarist Doug Sabolick. Melodic motifs based on the birdcalls of migratory birds as a metaphor for immigrants, Shone and Sabolick offer the short and sweet despite a heavy-handed subject.
- Bad Angels // Until Silence – A late-year find, Polish composer Adrian Anioł concocts dense dark ambient sprawls with moody jazz, haunting saxophone glitches, ominous upright bass, and pitch-black meandering. Perfect for walks on spooky rainy nights.
Songs o’ the Year:
- Ethel Cain – “Dust Bowl”4
Surprises o’ the Year
- KPop Demon Hunters Soundtrack – Mainly, how much time I devoted to it. What can I say? I’m gonna be, gonna be golden.
- SpiritWorld // Helldorado – Knuckleheaded riffs for days.5
Disappointments o’ the Year
- Messa // The Spin – Maybe it’s because I saturated my year with sultry noir jazz, but Messa shorts its doom metal with some goofy jazz—all novelty, no substance.
- Orbit Culture // Death Above Life – Once again, the melodeath/thrash riff reigns supreme, but until they can get out from behind the wall of compression, the Swedes continue to tread water.
- Vildhjarta // Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar – The undersung princes of atmodjent show up with the swampy djunz and forsake everything that makes them legendary. It’s djent—disappointingly nothing more.
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Saunders and Dear Hollow’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025 By Steel DruhmSaunders
Yes, folks and loyal AMG readers and devotees, another year is nearly done and dusted. As per tradition, the time has come to share reflections and recommendations from another eventful year. Personally, 2025 threw down some rough moments and life challenges, navigating a spike in anxiety-driven mental and physical health concerns. Previously, I have mentioned how much AMG has grounded me over the years, keeping my focus and motivation on track when other parts of life navigate turbulence, stress, or uncertainty. This has proven especially pivotal this year and highlights the importance of contributing in some small way to this amazing blog and how much it means to me.
Highlights… After a few lean years post-pandemic on the gig front, as an avid concertgoer, 2025 proved productive for getting my mojo back for live music. I caught Karnivool in action for the first time in over a decade, ripping through infectious prog metal anthems and impressive new jams from their highly anticipated album set to drop in early 2026. An unexpected gig was a solo show in my hometown from none other than former Fear Factory legend Burton C Bell, performing in a local dive venue. Ploughing through career classics and some solo material, the setlist offered up gems like “Drive Boy Shooting,” “Scapegoat,” “Scumgrief,” and “Replica.” It was a nostalgic joy.
Meanwhile, after years of stubbornly jaded neglect, I finally bit the bullet and witnessed Metallica live. Probably a couple of decades too late, however, as an impressionable young’un raised on early Metallica, it was a cool experience to finally see the aging juggernaut in a stadium setting that will remain in the memory bank for years to come. A couple of days later, I once again caught the mighty Opeth at the iconic Sydney Opera House with quality support from Caligula’s Horse, before rounding out the year by finally seeing Dying Fetus live in an extra beefy triple bill including Ashen and 200 Stab Wounds. Good times indeed….
Big thanks to everyone for keeping this mighty blog running and cogs turning. From the ever-growing readership and awesome AMG community, through the entire, recently beefed-up writing crew, inspiring colleagues and all-around awesome people, to the higher powers (Steel Druhm, Angry Metal Guy, Sentynel, Doc Grier, and all the other editors) for their extra behind-the-scenes work whipping us into line. Cheers all to a safe, happy, and healthy 2026.
#ish: Green Carnation // A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia – After being mesmerized by Green Carnation’s timeless opus Light of Day, Day of Darkness many years ago, I never really expanded my listening beyond that widely regarded masterpiece. Then comeback album Leaves of Yesteryear dropped in 2020 and turned me from a casual listener into an avid fan of their work. A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia signals a long-awaited return and the first part of a planned trilogy from the seasoned Norwegian veterans of classy, mood-driven progressive metal. Admittedly, this album didn’t reach the dizzying heights or quite gain the traction of its predecessor. Nor does it disappoint, adding another finely crafted chapter in Green Carnation’s enduring career, while building excitement for the two albums to complete the trilogy. Meticulously crafted and chock full of emotive, silky, and delightfully catchy gems, A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia is another top-shelf prog metal jam.
#10. Caustic Wound // Grinding Mechanism of Torment – Back in 2020, Seattle’s Caustic Wound emerged from the muck and unleashed a gnarly ball of unvarnished deathgrind rage courtesy of debut, Death Posture. Due to the endearing old school charms and brawling, stomping attack, Death Posture left a lasting impression, amping anticipation for their long-awaited return on sophomore slab, Grinding Mechanism of Torment. Though a little less refined and losing a smidgen of the debut’s grimy charm, Caustic Wound otherwise pounded out wickedly crunchy, buzzsawing deathgrind with violent glee, infectiousness, and subtle variety to keep you coming back for more. The album’s tight construction and propulsive performances deftly harness the controlled chaos and blasty, groove-laced fun, as the likes of “Drone Terror,” “Advanced Killing Methods,” and “Blood Battery” attest.
#9. Phantom Spell // Heather & Hearth – One of the purest and nostalgia-driven prog releases of 2025, the sophomore album from Seven Sisters singer/guitarist Kyle McNeill was a progtastic delight, wielding old-timey, ’70s prog feels with a transportive, fantastical flair. Phantom Spell crafted a timeless, epic yet remarkably fresh experience, despite the obvious devotion to progressive rock legends and eras of the past. Dueling guitar leads, rollicking organ, and tight, expressive rhythms shine across a superbly performed and produced opus. For all the musical smarts, clever progressive arrangements, and technical showmanship, McNeill’s songwriting and powerful vocals are spot on, resulting in a nuanced though hugely hooky and focused collection, infused with folk and classic heavy metal elements, complementing the classic progressive rock core. Bookended by two spectacular epics (‘The Autumn Citadel” and stunning, heart-wrenching melodies of the closing title track), Heather & Hearth is equally compelling in its more compact, punchy forms (“‘Evil Hand,” “Siren Song”).
#8. Barren Path // Grieving – Grind delivered big time in 2025, with numerous high-quality releases to absorb. None quite delivered the hammer blow impact of the debut LP from Barren Path, featuring Gridlink alumni, including grind shredding extraordinaire Takafumi Matsubara. It’s amazing what can be achieved in a manic thirteen minutes of calculated mayhem and precision deathgrind madness. Barren Path shares traits with Gridlink’s razor-sharp precision and abrasive intensity; however, it refuses to be pigeonholed or cast into the shadows of the Gridlink legacy. Beefy production, coupled with a prominent death metal influence, riffs to burn, gripping performances, and techy edge, Grieving loudly announced Barren Path as the next innovative heavy hitter to take the grind scene by storm. All too brief if utterly compelling, I’m excited to see what this elite line-up can cook up next as they set about creating their own unmatched legacy.
#7. Changeling // Changeling – For the second time in my 2025 top ten, an album surpasses the hour-length mark, often questionable territory as far as optimal album length. The prolific Tom Geldschläger (aka Fountainhead) hired an army of high-profile musicians and contributors to bring his elaborate progressive death metal vision to vibrant life with an overstuffed and incredibly entertaining, wildly ambitious debut opus. Amongst the core lineup, Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) lends his unique vocals, Virvum’s Arran McSporran features on fretless bass, and powerhouse Mike Keller (ex-Fear Factory, Raven, Malignancy) mans the kit, while a stack of instruments, choirs, and guest musicians add further dimensions and intricacies to the color palette. Changeling is guilty of overreaching on occasions, and the whole thing is an overstimulating example of excess. And though far from perfect, Changeling is nevertheless an astonishingly complex, progressive, and technical marvel. Its bombastic, adventurous gallop, slick songcraft, earwormy hook,s and otherworldly melodies conjure up a hugely inventive and endlessly fun platter.
#6. Turian // Blood Quantum Blues – Generally, I tread carefully from anything core-related in the realms of hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore. I am not opposed to each style, but usually it takes a certain something to win me over. Another winning recommendation from the flippered one, Blood Quantum Blues, the third LP from Seattle metallic hardcore merchants Turian, found the band toying and upending their sound in wonderfully creative and ambitious fashion. Like other genre-busting albums, such as The Shape of Punk to Come and Miss Machine, Turian fuck with the conventions of their metallic hardcore. Shattering boundaries by lacing their signature sound with sharply integrated elements of rock, electronics, sludge, and grind, whipped into a grooving, raw smackdown and addictive delight, Turian pulls no punches and pushes their songwriting creativity to the limit. The line-up nails the newfound songwriting versatility through tight, explosive performances, topped by the raw intensity and charismatic vocals of Vern Metztli-Moon, who channels deeply personal, trauma-informed reflections of her Native American heritage, with vigor and rage.
#5. Retromorphosis // Psalmus Mortis – Carrying on the timeless legacy of legendary Swedish tech death wrecking crew Spawn of Possession, Retromorphosis emerged featuring the bulk of the SoP line-up and a rejuvenated sound, both familiar and energized enough to craft a new chapter of tech death excellence. Herein lies the key to the album’s success. SoP was such a special and unique entity in the tech death field. Retromorphosis pulls the signature songwriting components and twists and contorts them into their own slick interpretation, without simply rehashing past glories. Psalmus Mortis proved to have significant staying power since dropping early in the year, even amidst a pretty stacked year for quality death and tech death albums. Retromorphosis decorate their knotty, fluid and aggressive compositions with tasteful synth work, symphonic flourishes and bedazzling solos, whether charting smartly progressive, labyrinthine terrain (“The Tree,” “Machine”), and thrashy, warped tech death (“Aunt Christie’s Will,” “Vanished,” “Retromorphosis”).
#4. Terror Corpse // Ash Eclipses Flesh – After already delivering a killer grind opus earlier in the year, Terror Corpse got the creative juices flowing again in dropping a full-length debut of immense power and old school grit. Featuring a power-packed lineup featuring past and present members of acts including Malignant Altar, Oceans of Slumber, Necrofier, and Insect Warfare, Terror Corpse comes seasoned with death metal wisdom and experience. Despite a lack of innovation, Terror Corpse winds back the clock and transcends the typical old school death metal hordes. Injecting venomous strains of grind, death-doom, sinister atmospheres, and gut-churning brutality into beefy, riff-driven songs that fondly recall death metal’s glory days, Terror Corpse forge ahead into the here and now with their own character and inspired songwriting. Topped by a bevy of instantly gratifying, oozing riffs and Dobber Beverly’s elite drumming, Ash Eclipses Flesh is a gripping old school death experience.
#3. Dax Riggs // 7 Songs For Spiders – The return of Dax Riggs, and by extension the most unexpected re-emergence of the legendary Acid Bath, were surely two of the most heartwarming music moments of 2025. As a longtime devotee of both Dax and Acid Bath, I had begun worrying that Dax’s music-making days had passed as he slunk into the background and essentially dropped off the radar for the best part of fifteen years. While holding out slim hope Acid Bath will decide to cross our shores, I am stoked Dax and crew are getting the long-overdue credit and exposure they deserve. Though not strictly metal, Dax’s comeback album, and first since 2010’s Say Goodnight to the World, marks a triumphant and warm, comforting return from an underground icon. 7 Songs for Spiders delivered the goods, as Dax and friends dropped an album with a familiar, nostalgic feel that refuses to rest on its laurels. Riggs’ defining vocals sound as vital and deliciously smoky as ever, weaving signature morbid tales, deadly hooks, and earworm melodies through subdued yet deceptively hefty and bluesy folk-doom ditties.
#2. Messa // The Spin – It would be an oversimplification to describe Messa’s fourth LP as a streamlined version of the enigmatic Italian band’s doom-centric formula. Each album has impressed in its own unique way, adding intoxicating twists and charm to continually evolve and refresh their sound. The Spin carries over elements of their past works and character-defining idiosyncrasies, yet feels like Messa’s most laser-focused, accessible, and direct album to date, and also one of their best. While I’ve enjoyed each of the band’s prior works, The Spin is the band’s most efficient and instantly gratifying, and addictive album. Easily Messa’s shortest opus, The Spin, uncorks killer tune after tune. Sumptuous melodies and rich textures color blockbuster doom bangers (“At Races,” “Fire on the Roof”), residing alongside atmospheric, jazz-dappled charmers (“The Dress”), bluesy, emotive slow burners (“Immolation”), and brooding, psych-tinged doom (“Thicker Blood”).
#1. Tómarúm // Beyond Obsidian Euphoria – Weirdly enough, my number one picks often don’t materialize as obviously as one might expect. This has largely been a trend throughout my tenure here at Angry Metal Guy. In all honesty, any of the top three could have been interchangeable in the top spot, but I reserved top honors for the spectacular second LP from Atlanta band Tómarúm. All the more surprising due to sleeping on their well-received debut, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria smacked me upside the cranium with an explosion of creativity and ambitious songcraft, encompassing elements of progressive black, melodic death, and tech death bombast. It’s an overly ambitious, sometimes slightly messy masterwork. Yet the eye-watering 68 minutes largely warrant its exhaustive length. Sure, shrewd editing here and there may have tightened things up. However, the whole experience is so consistently gripping and superbly written and performed that minor quibbles are squashed well below the surface. This fully loaded, immersive masterwork sparkles and scorches through tremendously crafted, multi-faceted compositions, including standout epics, “Shallow Ecstasy,” “Shed This Erroneous Skin,” and “Silver, Ashen Tears,” nestled harmoniously against the blunt force discordance of ‘Blood Mirage,” and compact progressive fireworks of closer “Becoming the Stone Icon (Obsidian Reprise).”
Honorable Mentions:
- Sigh // I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV – Skepticism of the dangerous game of the re-record was swept aside in a stunning reimagining of their 2007 classic.
- Plasmodulated // An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell – The album title says it all. Delightfully scabby, grooving old school death, seasoned with quirky Voivodisms.
- Igorrr // Amen – When seeking that taste of batshit crazy experimentation and avant-garde lunacy, Amen proved a reliable tonic. A challenging, though freakishly creative and addicting listen.
- Blood Vulture // Die Close – A grungy, Gothy slab of doom designed by talented Two Minutes to Late Night host Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall). The future appears bright, judging by this highly addictive debut, which garnered lots of rotation throughout the year.
- Vittra // Intense Indifference – Hugely impressive melodic death platter from Swedish up-and-comers Vittra. Drawing inspiration from their homeland’s classic melodeath past, Vittra injects oodles of thrashy energy, inspired axework, and hooky songcraft, bringing a fresh edge to a retro sound.
- Dormant Ordeal // Tooth and Nail – Perhaps a little late on this one, however, after spending considerable time with Dormant Ordeal’s latest opus, the hype and critical praise are indeed justified—a fine example of brutal, crushing Polish blackened death.
- Species // Changelings – Admittedly, like various other overlooked gems, I didn’t spend as much time as I’d like with Changelings. But catching up has been a blast. Species brought the weird on this wacky, proggy technical thrash thrill ride, not to be missed.
Disappointment o’ the Year:
Sadly, we lost a number of metal legends in 2025, headlined by three individual legends that had a profound impact on me over the years. There will never be a larger-than-life frontman/metal icon like Ozzy Osbourne. While his demise was not unexpected, it left a huge void and an incredible legacy never to be matched. At the Gates and all-around iconic Swedish vocalist Tomas Lindberg sadly passed away following a horrible illness, while former Mastodon guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds tragically passed in a motor vehicle accident. Rest in Peace legends….
Non-Heavy Picks (snapshot):
- Aesop Rock (Black Hole Superette & I Heard It’s a Mess There Too), clipping., Bon Iver, Miguel.
Song o’ the Year:
Messa – “Fire on the Roof” – Narrowing down a definitive song o’ the year candidate is often a futile task. Twenty-twenty-five was no exception. Rather than overthink or analyze the situation, I locked in one of the year’s most addictive, replayable gems from Messa’s stunning fourth LP, The Spin.
Dear Hollow
Welcome to the end of 2025! We at AMG hope the year has been kind to you—that your lives are filled with love, your hearts with joy, and our world with peace. I hope that you have found your people and have those you can lean on. If we have ever given you a voice, a platform, or just love and support when you need it, then we have done our jobs.
It feels redundant to say that this year has been a roller coaster, but 2025 pulled no punches. In May, the Hollow household welcomed a second kiddo, a boy, into the fold. He is a supremely easy, endlessly happy little guy, but the stresses of parenthood—and especially of two kids—are a daily lesson of “bend, don’t break.” Our daughter is now four, and learns new things and says sassy things day in and day out, enjoying gymnastics and dancing, and singing around the house for fun.
My reviewing has remained steady this year, if not a little less than the usual. Between parenting two kids, working as a high school English teacher to increasingly apathetic kids, working on a noir crime novel that has paid dividends in complexity (and all the noir jazz my ears can handle),1 continuing to unpack my upbringing and trauma and how they all have affected my views on family, relationships, and self-love, you can imagine how wild each day has been. But I’ve somehow managed it, and the end of the year is here to celebrate it.
Special shout-outs to those who have been instrumental in my journey this year: the ineffable and tireless dream team of Steel Druhm and Angry Metal Guy, the genre-confusing Dolphin Whisperer, my fellow Whitechapel apologists Iceberg and Alekhines Gun, and those who have been supportive all year (Thus Spoke, Killjoy, and Mystikus Hugebeard). Couldn’t have done it without y’all.
To the metal!
#ish. Kalaveraztekah // Nikan Axkan – Subject of a rollicking Rodeö, Mexico’s Kalaveraztekah’s balance of cosmic Aztec atmosphere and cutthroat death metal is sublime. Riffs for days balanced by an experimental madness that conjures cosmic destruction and rebirth, Nikan Axkan recalls the antics of Hell:on, folk influence only sharpens its attack and injects an atmosphere of foreboding. Refusing both gimmick and total immersion, Nikan Axkan is riffy, fun, and evocative, made for a mosh-pit and a soundtrack for the destruction of the Five Suns.
#10. La Torture des Ténèbres // Episode VIII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor – If you’re like MalteBrigge, you’ll probably end up with tinnitus and a sprained shoulder once Episode VIII kicks in, but Ottawa one-woman raw black metal/noise outfit La Torture des Ténèbres returns to the bleak space-faring atompunk of its 2016 debuts alongsdie the dystopic rage that pervades more recent efforts – moments of peace adding dimension and texture. La Torture des Ténèbres is about as ambitious as raw black metal can get.
#9. Imperial Triumphant // Goldstar – Goldstar is Imperial Triumphant’s most accessible album, the NYC trio’s signature brand of death/black and jazz funneled into a straightforward art-deco-themed brutalizing. It’s no less adventurous, always punishing, and will stay with you long after your ears stop ringing from the sound of New York City taxis and decadent skyscrapers displayed in extreme metal format: more straightforward, more melodic. While its recent predecessors are an affluent nightlife, Goldstar offers a sunbathed New York City.
#8. Howling Giant // Crucible & Ruin – Nashville’s stoner outfit Howling Giant reconciles the melodies and riffs, exploratory songwriting, and mammoth hooks gathering in each movement of Crucible & Ruin. Featuring hints of knuckleheaded sludge and proggy chord progressions, it’s an album that keeps your attention for forty-eight minutes. New member Adrian Zambrano offers more atmosphere and layers of guitar riffs and melodies to go with the surefire dichotomy of instrumental heft and vocal ethereality. Crucible & Ruin is an experience of fun, subtlety, and above all, riffs.
#7. Geese // Getting Killed – Perhaps the vocals of NYC’s Geese don’t bother me because of Cameron Winters’ similarity to singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan,2 so the album’s sonic anxiety of noise rock, post-punk, country, and blues that creep in and out like lovers who never stay does not bother me. Getting Killed feels viciously aggressive, venomously satirical, and fluid and elastic in its humble movements. Geese are overrated Pitchfork-bait, sure, but an overrated hill to get killed upon regardless.
#6. Structure // Heritage – Steel Druhm’s the real masochist for low and slow, but the balance of sad death/doom and devastating funeral doom in Netherland’s Structure is special. The guitar work in the mammoth riffs, melodic leads, and climactic solos has just a much of a voice to contribute as Pim Blankenstein’s formidable roars—as if griever and grieved converse in both melancholy and rage. Heritage is Structure paying homage to doom metal’s contemplation while paying its dues in death metal’s viciousness – pure devastation.
#5. Patristic // Catechesis – Catechesis is born out of the “impending shadow of the cross.” As tumultuous as the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the church and pagan rebellion, the black/death of Rome’s Patristic assaults the ears with tension, fury, and reverence. The first act is the holy war, a rationalization of steel and zealotry, while the second is the way the soldier tells it to his children, the lessons and cautions borne of blind faith and its devastation. Cathechesis is not only fiery sermons and unending blasphemy, but regret and meditation.
#4. In Mourning // The Immortal – I’ve loved Sweden’s In Mourning since their 2010 album Monolith: balancing chuggy guitars, progressive songwriting, and the slightest hints of doom (such as in 2008’s Shrouded Divine). The Immortal is an album that balances The Bleeding Veil’s darker elements, Garden of Storms’ signature melody, and The Weight of Oceans’ iconic patience. The Immortal offers yearning melodies and chords alongside vicious riffs, and melodeath has never sounded so good.
#3. Yellow Eyes // Confusion Gate – New York’s Yellow Eyes’ Confusion Gate conveys a black metal place better than most, an environment teeming with life. Like the Romantic Sublime, it maintains a crystalline beauty, like a light scattering through broken glass, and a madness born of terror—at the source of the light. Here is the crux of it, from poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s “The First Elegy”;
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angels’
Orders? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly to his heart: I’d be consumed
in his more potent being. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we can still barely endure,
and while we stand in wonder it coolly disdains
to destroy us. Every Angel is terrifying.#2. Igorrr // Amen – Gautier Serre’s work with Igorrr has rarely felt bad, but Amen evolves it from his typical standard. You get the typical apeshit antics in the midsection, but a full band fleshes out the jewel-encrusted skeleton for a fully, nearly spiritual experience. Minimalist compositions build upon a breakbeat before cracking into a full choir and death metal experience, while an overwhelming onslaught of insanity reminds us who exactly we’re listening to. Amen is hella fun, as expected, but also something we can take seriously.
#1. Primitive Man // Observance – Primitive Man is the heaviest band on the planet. While I’ve appreciated the Denver trio’s pitch-black approach to death metal laced with noise, doom, and sludge—from afar—Observance booked me in with upbeat tempos and a surprising melody. It swallows you whole like any good Primitive Man album ought to, but the devotion to deteriorating songwriting and weaponized noise. The atmospheric death/sludge counterpart to the riffs of Warcrab, for instance, Primitive Man offers a sound like no other—and it’s the best of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
- The Acacia Strain // You Are Safe From God Here – While incorporating the same ol’ hardcore beatdown you expect from the Massachusetts deathcore OGs,3 denser tones make for higher blasphemy. Simple math, trust me.
- Ethel Cain // Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You – Leaving behind the more experimental and darker tones in noise/drone counterpart Perverts, a more atmospheric and contemplative direction showcases the singer-songwriter’s nostalgic and gentle storytelling that does not shy away from darkness.
- Changeling // Changeling – While lacking the darkness and weight of Ingurgitating Oblivion, guitarist Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger is granted fretless freedom in a tech-death album whose lightness and amorphousness guide ethereal constructions of proggy sensibilities. More Dolphin Whisperer fare but still dope as hell.
- Author & Punisher // Nocturnal Birding – Tristan Shone releases an industrial sludge album that hits like an anvil, casting aside the more atmospheric tendencies for a headbanging good time, amplified by the crunch of new guitarist Doug Sabolick. Melodic motifs based on the birdcalls of migratory birds as a metaphor for immigrants, Shone and Sabolick offer the short and sweet despite a heavy-handed subject.
- Bad Angels // Until Silence – A late-year find, Polish composer Adrian Anioł concocts dense dark ambient sprawls with moody jazz, haunting saxophone glitches, ominous upright bass, and pitch-black meandering. Perfect for walks on spooky rainy nights.
Songs o’ the Year:
- Ethel Cain – “Dust Bowl”4
Surprises o’ the Year
- KPop Demon Hunters Soundtrack – Mainly, how much time I devoted to it. What can I say? I’m gonna be, gonna be golden.
- SpiritWorld // Helldorado – Knuckleheaded riffs for days.5
Disappointments o’ the Year
- Messa // The Spin – Maybe it’s because I saturated my year with sultry noir jazz, but Messa shorts its doom metal with some goofy jazz—all novelty, no substance.
- Orbit Culture // Death Above Life – Once again, the melodeath/thrash riff reigns supreme, but until they can get out from behind the wall of compression, the Swedes continue to tread water.
- Vildhjarta // Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar – The undersung princes of atmodjent show up with the swampy djunz and forsake everything that makes them legendary. It’s djent—disappointingly nothing more.
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Saunders and Dear Hollow’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025 By Steel DruhmSaunders
Yes, folks and loyal AMG readers and devotees, another year is nearly done and dusted. As per tradition, the time has come to share reflections and recommendations from another eventful year. Personally, 2025 threw down some rough moments and life challenges, navigating a spike in anxiety-driven mental and physical health concerns. Previously, I have mentioned how much AMG has grounded me over the years, keeping my focus and motivation on track when other parts of life navigate turbulence, stress, or uncertainty. This has proven especially pivotal this year and highlights the importance of contributing in some small way to this amazing blog and how much it means to me.
Highlights… After a few lean years post-pandemic on the gig front, as an avid concertgoer, 2025 proved productive for getting my mojo back for live music. I caught Karnivool in action for the first time in over a decade, ripping through infectious prog metal anthems and impressive new jams from their highly anticipated album set to drop in early 2026. An unexpected gig was a solo show in my hometown from none other than former Fear Factory legend Burton C Bell, performing in a local dive venue. Ploughing through career classics and some solo material, the setlist offered up gems like “Drive Boy Shooting,” “Scapegoat,” “Scumgrief,” and “Replica.” It was a nostalgic joy.
Meanwhile, after years of stubbornly jaded neglect, I finally bit the bullet and witnessed Metallica live. Probably a couple of decades too late, however, as an impressionable young’un raised on early Metallica, it was a cool experience to finally see the aging juggernaut in a stadium setting that will remain in the memory bank for years to come. A couple of days later, I once again caught the mighty Opeth at the iconic Sydney Opera House with quality support from Caligula’s Horse, before rounding out the year by finally seeing Dying Fetus live in an extra beefy triple bill including Ashen and 200 Stab Wounds. Good times indeed….
Big thanks to everyone for keeping this mighty blog running and cogs turning. From the ever-growing readership and awesome AMG community, through the entire, recently beefed-up writing crew, inspiring colleagues and all-around awesome people, to the higher powers (Steel Druhm, Angry Metal Guy, Sentynel, Doc Grier, and all the other editors) for their extra behind-the-scenes work whipping us into line. Cheers all to a safe, happy, and healthy 2026.
#ish: Green Carnation // A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia – After being mesmerized by Green Carnation’s timeless opus Light of Day, Day of Darkness many years ago, I never really expanded my listening beyond that widely regarded masterpiece. Then comeback album Leaves of Yesteryear dropped in 2020 and turned me from a casual listener into an avid fan of their work. A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia signals a long-awaited return and the first part of a planned trilogy from the seasoned Norwegian veterans of classy, mood-driven progressive metal. Admittedly, this album didn’t reach the dizzying heights or quite gain the traction of its predecessor. Nor does it disappoint, adding another finely crafted chapter in Green Carnation’s enduring career, while building excitement for the two albums to complete the trilogy. Meticulously crafted and chock full of emotive, silky, and delightfully catchy gems, A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia is another top-shelf prog metal jam.
#10. Caustic Wound // Grinding Mechanism of Torment – Back in 2020, Seattle’s Caustic Wound emerged from the muck and unleashed a gnarly ball of unvarnished deathgrind rage courtesy of debut, Death Posture. Due to the endearing old school charms and brawling, stomping attack, Death Posture left a lasting impression, amping anticipation for their long-awaited return on sophomore slab, Grinding Mechanism of Torment. Though a little less refined and losing a smidgen of the debut’s grimy charm, Caustic Wound otherwise pounded out wickedly crunchy, buzzsawing deathgrind with violent glee, infectiousness, and subtle variety to keep you coming back for more. The album’s tight construction and propulsive performances deftly harness the controlled chaos and blasty, groove-laced fun, as the likes of “Drone Terror,” “Advanced Killing Methods,” and “Blood Battery” attest.
#9. Phantom Spell // Heather & Hearth – One of the purest and nostalgia-driven prog releases of 2025, the sophomore album from Seven Sisters singer/guitarist Kyle McNeill was a progtastic delight, wielding old-timey, ’70s prog feels with a transportive, fantastical flair. Phantom Spell crafted a timeless, epic yet remarkably fresh experience, despite the obvious devotion to progressive rock legends and eras of the past. Dueling guitar leads, rollicking organ, and tight, expressive rhythms shine across a superbly performed and produced opus. For all the musical smarts, clever progressive arrangements, and technical showmanship, McNeill’s songwriting and powerful vocals are spot on, resulting in a nuanced though hugely hooky and focused collection, infused with folk and classic heavy metal elements, complementing the classic progressive rock core. Bookended by two spectacular epics (‘The Autumn Citadel” and stunning, heart-wrenching melodies of the closing title track), Heather & Hearth is equally compelling in its more compact, punchy forms (“‘Evil Hand,” “Siren Song”).
#8. Barren Path // Grieving – Grind delivered big time in 2025, with numerous high-quality releases to absorb. None quite delivered the hammer blow impact of the debut LP from Barren Path, featuring Gridlink alumni, including grind shredding extraordinaire Takafumi Matsubara. It’s amazing what can be achieved in a manic thirteen minutes of calculated mayhem and precision deathgrind madness. Barren Path shares traits with Gridlink’s razor-sharp precision and abrasive intensity; however, it refuses to be pigeonholed or cast into the shadows of the Gridlink legacy. Beefy production, coupled with a prominent death metal influence, riffs to burn, gripping performances, and techy edge, Grieving loudly announced Barren Path as the next innovative heavy hitter to take the grind scene by storm. All too brief if utterly compelling, I’m excited to see what this elite line-up can cook up next as they set about creating their own unmatched legacy.
#7. Changeling // Changeling – For the second time in my 2025 top ten, an album surpasses the hour-length mark, often questionable territory as far as optimal album length. The prolific Tom Geldschläger (aka Fountainhead) hired an army of high-profile musicians and contributors to bring his elaborate progressive death metal vision to vibrant life with an overstuffed and incredibly entertaining, wildly ambitious debut opus. Amongst the core lineup, Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) lends his unique vocals, Virvum’s Arran McSporran features on fretless bass, and powerhouse Mike Keller (ex-Fear Factory, Raven, Malignancy) mans the kit, while a stack of instruments, choirs, and guest musicians add further dimensions and intricacies to the color palette. Changeling is guilty of overreaching on occasions, and the whole thing is an overstimulating example of excess. And though far from perfect, Changeling is nevertheless an astonishingly complex, progressive, and technical marvel. Its bombastic, adventurous gallop, slick songcraft, earwormy hook,s and otherworldly melodies conjure up a hugely inventive and endlessly fun platter.
#6. Turian // Blood Quantum Blues – Generally, I tread carefully from anything core-related in the realms of hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore. I am not opposed to each style, but usually it takes a certain something to win me over. Another winning recommendation from the flippered one, Blood Quantum Blues, the third LP from Seattle metallic hardcore merchants Turian, found the band toying and upending their sound in wonderfully creative and ambitious fashion. Like other genre-busting albums, such as The Shape of Punk to Come and Miss Machine, Turian fuck with the conventions of their metallic hardcore. Shattering boundaries by lacing their signature sound with sharply integrated elements of rock, electronics, sludge, and grind, whipped into a grooving, raw smackdown and addictive delight, Turian pulls no punches and pushes their songwriting creativity to the limit. The line-up nails the newfound songwriting versatility through tight, explosive performances, topped by the raw intensity and charismatic vocals of Vern Metztli-Moon, who channels deeply personal, trauma-informed reflections of her Native American heritage, with vigor and rage.
#5. Retromorphosis // Psalmus Mortis – Carrying on the timeless legacy of legendary Swedish tech death wrecking crew Spawn of Possession, Retromorphosis emerged featuring the bulk of the SoP line-up and a rejuvenated sound, both familiar and energized enough to craft a new chapter of tech death excellence. Herein lies the key to the album’s success. SoP was such a special and unique entity in the tech death field. Retromorphosis pulls the signature songwriting components and twists and contorts them into their own slick interpretation, without simply rehashing past glories. Psalmus Mortis proved to have significant staying power since dropping early in the year, even amidst a pretty stacked year for quality death and tech death albums. Retromorphosis decorate their knotty, fluid and aggressive compositions with tasteful synth work, symphonic flourishes and bedazzling solos, whether charting smartly progressive, labyrinthine terrain (“The Tree,” “Machine”), and thrashy, warped tech death (“Aunt Christie’s Will,” “Vanished,” “Retromorphosis”).
#4. Terror Corpse // Ash Eclipses Flesh – After already delivering a killer grind opus earlier in the year, Terror Corpse got the creative juices flowing again in dropping a full-length debut of immense power and old school grit. Featuring a power-packed lineup featuring past and present members of acts including Malignant Altar, Oceans of Slumber, Necrofier, and Insect Warfare, Terror Corpse comes seasoned with death metal wisdom and experience. Despite a lack of innovation, Terror Corpse winds back the clock and transcends the typical old school death metal hordes. Injecting venomous strains of grind, death-doom, sinister atmospheres, and gut-churning brutality into beefy, riff-driven songs that fondly recall death metal’s glory days, Terror Corpse forge ahead into the here and now with their own character and inspired songwriting. Topped by a bevy of instantly gratifying, oozing riffs and Dobber Beverly’s elite drumming, Ash Eclipses Flesh is a gripping old school death experience.
#3. Dax Riggs // 7 Songs For Spiders – The return of Dax Riggs, and by extension the most unexpected re-emergence of the legendary Acid Bath, were surely two of the most heartwarming music moments of 2025. As a longtime devotee of both Dax and Acid Bath, I had begun worrying that Dax’s music-making days had passed as he slunk into the background and essentially dropped off the radar for the best part of fifteen years. While holding out slim hope Acid Bath will decide to cross our shores, I am stoked Dax and crew are getting the long-overdue credit and exposure they deserve. Though not strictly metal, Dax’s comeback album, and first since 2010’s Say Goodnight to the World, marks a triumphant and warm, comforting return from an underground icon. 7 Songs for Spiders delivered the goods, as Dax and friends dropped an album with a familiar, nostalgic feel that refuses to rest on its laurels. Riggs’ defining vocals sound as vital and deliciously smoky as ever, weaving signature morbid tales, deadly hooks, and earworm melodies through subdued yet deceptively hefty and bluesy folk-doom ditties.
#2. Messa // The Spin – It would be an oversimplification to describe Messa’s fourth LP as a streamlined version of the enigmatic Italian band’s doom-centric formula. Each album has impressed in its own unique way, adding intoxicating twists and charm to continually evolve and refresh their sound. The Spin carries over elements of their past works and character-defining idiosyncrasies, yet feels like Messa’s most laser-focused, accessible, and direct album to date, and also one of their best. While I’ve enjoyed each of the band’s prior works, The Spin is the band’s most efficient and instantly gratifying, and addictive album. Easily Messa’s shortest opus, The Spin, uncorks killer tune after tune. Sumptuous melodies and rich textures color blockbuster doom bangers (“At Races,” “Fire on the Roof”), residing alongside atmospheric, jazz-dappled charmers (“The Dress”), bluesy, emotive slow burners (“Immolation”), and brooding, psych-tinged doom (“Thicker Blood”).
#1. Tómarúm // Beyond Obsidian Euphoria – Weirdly enough, my number one picks often don’t materialize as obviously as one might expect. This has largely been a trend throughout my tenure here at Angry Metal Guy. In all honesty, any of the top three could have been interchangeable in the top spot, but I reserved top honors for the spectacular second LP from Atlanta band Tómarúm. All the more surprising due to sleeping on their well-received debut, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria smacked me upside the cranium with an explosion of creativity and ambitious songcraft, encompassing elements of progressive black, melodic death, and tech death bombast. It’s an overly ambitious, sometimes slightly messy masterwork. Yet the eye-watering 68 minutes largely warrant its exhaustive length. Sure, shrewd editing here and there may have tightened things up. However, the whole experience is so consistently gripping and superbly written and performed that minor quibbles are squashed well below the surface. This fully loaded, immersive masterwork sparkles and scorches through tremendously crafted, multi-faceted compositions, including standout epics, “Shallow Ecstasy,” “Shed This Erroneous Skin,” and “Silver, Ashen Tears,” nestled harmoniously against the blunt force discordance of ‘Blood Mirage,” and compact progressive fireworks of closer “Becoming the Stone Icon (Obsidian Reprise).”
Honorable Mentions:
- Sigh // I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV – Skepticism of the dangerous game of the re-record was swept aside in a stunning reimagining of their 2007 classic.
- Plasmodulated // An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell – The album title says it all. Delightfully scabby, grooving old school death, seasoned with quirky Voivodisms.
- Igorrr // Amen – When seeking that taste of batshit crazy experimentation and avant-garde lunacy, Amen proved a reliable tonic. A challenging, though freakishly creative and addicting listen.
- Blood Vulture // Die Close – A grungy, Gothy slab of doom designed by talented Two Minutes to Late Night host Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall). The future appears bright, judging by this highly addictive debut, which garnered lots of rotation throughout the year.
- Vittra // Intense Indifference – Hugely impressive melodic death platter from Swedish up-and-comers Vittra. Drawing inspiration from their homeland’s classic melodeath past, Vittra injects oodles of thrashy energy, inspired axework, and hooky songcraft, bringing a fresh edge to a retro sound.
- Dormant Ordeal // Tooth and Nail – Perhaps a little late on this one, however, after spending considerable time with Dormant Ordeal’s latest opus, the hype and critical praise are indeed justified—a fine example of brutal, crushing Polish blackened death.
- Species // Changelings – Admittedly, like various other overlooked gems, I didn’t spend as much time as I’d like with Changelings. But catching up has been a blast. Species brought the weird on this wacky, proggy technical thrash thrill ride, not to be missed.
Disappointment o’ the Year:
Sadly, we lost a number of metal legends in 2025, headlined by three individual legends that had a profound impact on me over the years. There will never be a larger-than-life frontman/metal icon like Ozzy Osbourne. While his demise was not unexpected, it left a huge void and an incredible legacy never to be matched. At the Gates and all-around iconic Swedish vocalist Tomas Lindberg sadly passed away following a horrible illness, while former Mastodon guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds tragically passed in a motor vehicle accident. Rest in Peace legends….
Non-Heavy Picks (snapshot):
- Aesop Rock (Black Hole Superette & I Heard It’s a Mess There Too), clipping., Bon Iver, Miguel.
Song o’ the Year:
Messa – “Fire on the Roof” – Narrowing down a definitive song o’ the year candidate is often a futile task. Twenty-twenty-five was no exception. Rather than overthink or analyze the situation, I locked in one of the year’s most addictive, replayable gems from Messa’s stunning fourth LP, The Spin.
Dear Hollow
Welcome to the end of 2025! We at AMG hope the year has been kind to you—that your lives are filled with love, your hearts with joy, and our world with peace. I hope that you have found your people and have those you can lean on. If we have ever given you a voice, a platform, or just love and support when you need it, then we have done our jobs.
It feels redundant to say that this year has been a roller coaster, but 2025 pulled no punches. In May, the Hollow household welcomed a second kiddo, a boy, into the fold. He is a supremely easy, endlessly happy little guy, but the stresses of parenthood—and especially of two kids—are a daily lesson of “bend, don’t break.” Our daughter is now four, and learns new things and says sassy things day in and day out, enjoying gymnastics and dancing, and singing around the house for fun.
My reviewing has remained steady this year, if not a little less than the usual. Between parenting two kids, working as a high school English teacher to increasingly apathetic kids, working on a noir crime novel that has paid dividends in complexity (and all the noir jazz my ears can handle),1 continuing to unpack my upbringing and trauma and how they all have affected my views on family, relationships, and self-love, you can imagine how wild each day has been. But I’ve somehow managed it, and the end of the year is here to celebrate it.
Special shout-outs to those who have been instrumental in my journey this year: the ineffable and tireless dream team of Steel Druhm and Angry Metal Guy, the genre-confusing Dolphin Whisperer, my fellow Whitechapel apologists Iceberg and Alekhines Gun, and those who have been supportive all year (Thus Spoke, Killjoy, and Mystikus Hugebeard). Couldn’t have done it without y’all.
To the metal!
#ish. Kalaveraztekah // Nikan Axkan – Subject of a rollicking Rodeö, Mexico’s Kalaveraztekah’s balance of cosmic Aztec atmosphere and cutthroat death metal is sublime. Riffs for days balanced by an experimental madness that conjures cosmic destruction and rebirth, Nikan Axkan recalls the antics of Hell:on, folk influence only sharpens its attack and injects an atmosphere of foreboding. Refusing both gimmick and total immersion, Nikan Axkan is riffy, fun, and evocative, made for a mosh-pit and a soundtrack for the destruction of the Five Suns.
#10. La Torture des Ténèbres // Episode VIII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor – If you’re like MalteBrigge, you’ll probably end up with tinnitus and a sprained shoulder once Episode VIII kicks in, but Ottawa one-woman raw black metal/noise outfit La Torture des Ténèbres returns to the bleak space-faring atompunk of its 2016 debuts alongsdie the dystopic rage that pervades more recent efforts – moments of peace adding dimension and texture. La Torture des Ténèbres is about as ambitious as raw black metal can get.
#9. Imperial Triumphant // Goldstar – Goldstar is Imperial Triumphant’s most accessible album, the NYC trio’s signature brand of death/black and jazz funneled into a straightforward art-deco-themed brutalizing. It’s no less adventurous, always punishing, and will stay with you long after your ears stop ringing from the sound of New York City taxis and decadent skyscrapers displayed in extreme metal format: more straightforward, more melodic. While its recent predecessors are an affluent nightlife, Goldstar offers a sunbathed New York City.
#8. Howling Giant // Crucible & Ruin – Nashville’s stoner outfit Howling Giant reconciles the melodies and riffs, exploratory songwriting, and mammoth hooks gathering in each movement of Crucible & Ruin. Featuring hints of knuckleheaded sludge and proggy chord progressions, it’s an album that keeps your attention for forty-eight minutes. New member Adrian Zambrano offers more atmosphere and layers of guitar riffs and melodies to go with the surefire dichotomy of instrumental heft and vocal ethereality. Crucible & Ruin is an experience of fun, subtlety, and above all, riffs.
#7. Geese // Getting Killed – Perhaps the vocals of NYC’s Geese don’t bother me because of Cameron Winters’ similarity to singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan,2 so the album’s sonic anxiety of noise rock, post-punk, country, and blues that creep in and out like lovers who never stay does not bother me. Getting Killed feels viciously aggressive, venomously satirical, and fluid and elastic in its humble movements. Geese are overrated Pitchfork-bait, sure, but an overrated hill to get killed upon regardless.
#6. Structure // Heritage – Steel Druhm’s the real masochist for low and slow, but the balance of sad death/doom and devastating funeral doom in Netherland’s Structure is special. The guitar work in the mammoth riffs, melodic leads, and climactic solos has just a much of a voice to contribute as Pim Blankenstein’s formidable roars—as if griever and grieved converse in both melancholy and rage. Heritage is Structure paying homage to doom metal’s contemplation while paying its dues in death metal’s viciousness – pure devastation.
#5. Patristic // Catechesis – Catechesis is born out of the “impending shadow of the cross.” As tumultuous as the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the church and pagan rebellion, the black/death of Rome’s Patristic assaults the ears with tension, fury, and reverence. The first act is the holy war, a rationalization of steel and zealotry, while the second is the way the soldier tells it to his children, the lessons and cautions borne of blind faith and its devastation. Cathechesis is not only fiery sermons and unending blasphemy, but regret and meditation.
#4. In Mourning // The Immortal – I’ve loved Sweden’s In Mourning since their 2010 album Monolith: balancing chuggy guitars, progressive songwriting, and the slightest hints of doom (such as in 2008’s Shrouded Divine). The Immortal is an album that balances The Bleeding Veil’s darker elements, Garden of Storms’ signature melody, and The Weight of Oceans’ iconic patience. The Immortal offers yearning melodies and chords alongside vicious riffs, and melodeath has never sounded so good.
#3. Yellow Eyes // Confusion Gate – New York’s Yellow Eyes’ Confusion Gate conveys a black metal place better than most, an environment teeming with life. Like the Romantic Sublime, it maintains a crystalline beauty, like a light scattering through broken glass, and a madness born of terror—at the source of the light. Here is the crux of it, from poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s “The First Elegy”;
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angels’
Orders? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly to his heart: I’d be consumed
in his more potent being. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we can still barely endure,
and while we stand in wonder it coolly disdains
to destroy us. Every Angel is terrifying.#2. Igorrr // Amen – Gautier Serre’s work with Igorrr has rarely felt bad, but Amen evolves it from his typical standard. You get the typical apeshit antics in the midsection, but a full band fleshes out the jewel-encrusted skeleton for a fully, nearly spiritual experience. Minimalist compositions build upon a breakbeat before cracking into a full choir and death metal experience, while an overwhelming onslaught of insanity reminds us who exactly we’re listening to. Amen is hella fun, as expected, but also something we can take seriously.
#1. Primitive Man // Observance – Primitive Man is the heaviest band on the planet. While I’ve appreciated the Denver trio’s pitch-black approach to death metal laced with noise, doom, and sludge—from afar—Observance booked me in with upbeat tempos and a surprising melody. It swallows you whole like any good Primitive Man album ought to, but the devotion to deteriorating songwriting and weaponized noise. The atmospheric death/sludge counterpart to the riffs of Warcrab, for instance, Primitive Man offers a sound like no other—and it’s the best of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
- The Acacia Strain // You Are Safe From God Here – While incorporating the same ol’ hardcore beatdown you expect from the Massachusetts deathcore OGs,3 denser tones make for higher blasphemy. Simple math, trust me.
- Ethel Cain // Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You – Leaving behind the more experimental and darker tones in noise/drone counterpart Perverts, a more atmospheric and contemplative direction showcases the singer-songwriter’s nostalgic and gentle storytelling that does not shy away from darkness.
- Changeling // Changeling – While lacking the darkness and weight of Ingurgitating Oblivion, guitarist Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger is granted fretless freedom in a tech-death album whose lightness and amorphousness guide ethereal constructions of proggy sensibilities. More Dolphin Whisperer fare but still dope as hell.
- Author & Punisher // Nocturnal Birding – Tristan Shone releases an industrial sludge album that hits like an anvil, casting aside the more atmospheric tendencies for a headbanging good time, amplified by the crunch of new guitarist Doug Sabolick. Melodic motifs based on the birdcalls of migratory birds as a metaphor for immigrants, Shone and Sabolick offer the short and sweet despite a heavy-handed subject.
- Bad Angels // Until Silence – A late-year find, Polish composer Adrian Anioł concocts dense dark ambient sprawls with moody jazz, haunting saxophone glitches, ominous upright bass, and pitch-black meandering. Perfect for walks on spooky rainy nights.
Songs o’ the Year:
- Ethel Cain – “Dust Bowl”4
Surprises o’ the Year
- KPop Demon Hunters Soundtrack – Mainly, how much time I devoted to it. What can I say? I’m gonna be, gonna be golden.
- SpiritWorld // Helldorado – Knuckleheaded riffs for days.5
Disappointments o’ the Year
- Messa // The Spin – Maybe it’s because I saturated my year with sultry noir jazz, but Messa shorts its doom metal with some goofy jazz—all novelty, no substance.
- Orbit Culture // Death Above Life – Once again, the melodeath/thrash riff reigns supreme, but until they can get out from behind the wall of compression, the Swedes continue to tread water.
- Vildhjarta // Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar – The undersung princes of atmodjent show up with the swampy djunz and forsake everything that makes them legendary. It’s djent—disappointingly nothing more.
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Saunders and Dear Hollow’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025 By Steel DruhmSaunders
Yes, folks and loyal AMG readers and devotees, another year is nearly done and dusted. As per tradition, the time has come to share reflections and recommendations from another eventful year. Personally, 2025 threw down some rough moments and life challenges, navigating a spike in anxiety-driven mental and physical health concerns. Previously, I have mentioned how much AMG has grounded me over the years, keeping my focus and motivation on track when other parts of life navigate turbulence, stress, or uncertainty. This has proven especially pivotal this year and highlights the importance of contributing in some small way to this amazing blog and how much it means to me.
Highlights… After a few lean years post-pandemic on the gig front, as an avid concertgoer, 2025 proved productive for getting my mojo back for live music. I caught Karnivool in action for the first time in over a decade, ripping through infectious prog metal anthems and impressive new jams from their highly anticipated album set to drop in early 2026. An unexpected gig was a solo show in my hometown from none other than former Fear Factory legend Burton C Bell, performing in a local dive venue. Ploughing through career classics and some solo material, the setlist offered up gems like “Drive Boy Shooting,” “Scapegoat,” “Scumgrief,” and “Replica.” It was a nostalgic joy.
Meanwhile, after years of stubbornly jaded neglect, I finally bit the bullet and witnessed Metallica live. Probably a couple of decades too late, however, as an impressionable young’un raised on early Metallica, it was a cool experience to finally see the aging juggernaut in a stadium setting that will remain in the memory bank for years to come. A couple of days later, I once again caught the mighty Opeth at the iconic Sydney Opera House with quality support from Caligula’s Horse, before rounding out the year by finally seeing Dying Fetus live in an extra beefy triple bill including Ashen and 200 Stab Wounds. Good times indeed….
Big thanks to everyone for keeping this mighty blog running and cogs turning. From the ever-growing readership and awesome AMG community, through the entire, recently beefed-up writing crew, inspiring colleagues and all-around awesome people, to the higher powers (Steel Druhm, Angry Metal Guy, Sentynel, Doc Grier, and all the other editors) for their extra behind-the-scenes work whipping us into line. Cheers all to a safe, happy, and healthy 2026.
#ish: Green Carnation // A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia – After being mesmerized by Green Carnation’s timeless opus Light of Day, Day of Darkness many years ago, I never really expanded my listening beyond that widely regarded masterpiece. Then comeback album Leaves of Yesteryear dropped in 2020 and turned me from a casual listener into an avid fan of their work. A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia signals a long-awaited return and the first part of a planned trilogy from the seasoned Norwegian veterans of classy, mood-driven progressive metal. Admittedly, this album didn’t reach the dizzying heights or quite gain the traction of its predecessor. Nor does it disappoint, adding another finely crafted chapter in Green Carnation’s enduring career, while building excitement for the two albums to complete the trilogy. Meticulously crafted and chock full of emotive, silky, and delightfully catchy gems, A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia is another top-shelf prog metal jam.
#10. Caustic Wound // Grinding Mechanism of Torment – Back in 2020, Seattle’s Caustic Wound emerged from the muck and unleashed a gnarly ball of unvarnished deathgrind rage courtesy of debut, Death Posture. Due to the endearing old school charms and brawling, stomping attack, Death Posture left a lasting impression, amping anticipation for their long-awaited return on sophomore slab, Grinding Mechanism of Torment. Though a little less refined and losing a smidgen of the debut’s grimy charm, Caustic Wound otherwise pounded out wickedly crunchy, buzzsawing deathgrind with violent glee, infectiousness, and subtle variety to keep you coming back for more. The album’s tight construction and propulsive performances deftly harness the controlled chaos and blasty, groove-laced fun, as the likes of “Drone Terror,” “Advanced Killing Methods,” and “Blood Battery” attest.
#9. Phantom Spell // Heather & Hearth – One of the purest and nostalgia-driven prog releases of 2025, the sophomore album from Seven Sisters singer/guitarist Kyle McNeill was a progtastic delight, wielding old-timey, ’70s prog feels with a transportive, fantastical flair. Phantom Spell crafted a timeless, epic yet remarkably fresh experience, despite the obvious devotion to progressive rock legends and eras of the past. Dueling guitar leads, rollicking organ, and tight, expressive rhythms shine across a superbly performed and produced opus. For all the musical smarts, clever progressive arrangements, and technical showmanship, McNeill’s songwriting and powerful vocals are spot on, resulting in a nuanced though hugely hooky and focused collection, infused with folk and classic heavy metal elements, complementing the classic progressive rock core. Bookended by two spectacular epics (‘The Autumn Citadel” and stunning, heart-wrenching melodies of the closing title track), Heather & Hearth is equally compelling in its more compact, punchy forms (“‘Evil Hand,” “Siren Song”).
#8. Barren Path // Grieving – Grind delivered big time in 2025, with numerous high-quality releases to absorb. None quite delivered the hammer blow impact of the debut LP from Barren Path, featuring Gridlink alumni, including grind shredding extraordinaire Takafumi Matsubara. It’s amazing what can be achieved in a manic thirteen minutes of calculated mayhem and precision deathgrind madness. Barren Path shares traits with Gridlink’s razor-sharp precision and abrasive intensity; however, it refuses to be pigeonholed or cast into the shadows of the Gridlink legacy. Beefy production, coupled with a prominent death metal influence, riffs to burn, gripping performances, and techy edge, Grieving loudly announced Barren Path as the next innovative heavy hitter to take the grind scene by storm. All too brief if utterly compelling, I’m excited to see what this elite line-up can cook up next as they set about creating their own unmatched legacy.
#7. Changeling // Changeling – For the second time in my 2025 top ten, an album surpasses the hour-length mark, often questionable territory as far as optimal album length. The prolific Tom Geldschläger (aka Fountainhead) hired an army of high-profile musicians and contributors to bring his elaborate progressive death metal vision to vibrant life with an overstuffed and incredibly entertaining, wildly ambitious debut opus. Amongst the core lineup, Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) lends his unique vocals, Virvum’s Arran McSporran features on fretless bass, and powerhouse Mike Keller (ex-Fear Factory, Raven, Malignancy) mans the kit, while a stack of instruments, choirs, and guest musicians add further dimensions and intricacies to the color palette. Changeling is guilty of overreaching on occasions, and the whole thing is an overstimulating example of excess. And though far from perfect, Changeling is nevertheless an astonishingly complex, progressive, and technical marvel. Its bombastic, adventurous gallop, slick songcraft, earwormy hook,s and otherworldly melodies conjure up a hugely inventive and endlessly fun platter.
#6. Turian // Blood Quantum Blues – Generally, I tread carefully from anything core-related in the realms of hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore. I am not opposed to each style, but usually it takes a certain something to win me over. Another winning recommendation from the flippered one, Blood Quantum Blues, the third LP from Seattle metallic hardcore merchants Turian, found the band toying and upending their sound in wonderfully creative and ambitious fashion. Like other genre-busting albums, such as The Shape of Punk to Come and Miss Machine, Turian fuck with the conventions of their metallic hardcore. Shattering boundaries by lacing their signature sound with sharply integrated elements of rock, electronics, sludge, and grind, whipped into a grooving, raw smackdown and addictive delight, Turian pulls no punches and pushes their songwriting creativity to the limit. The line-up nails the newfound songwriting versatility through tight, explosive performances, topped by the raw intensity and charismatic vocals of Vern Metztli-Moon, who channels deeply personal, trauma-informed reflections of her Native American heritage, with vigor and rage.
#5. Retromorphosis // Psalmus Mortis – Carrying on the timeless legacy of legendary Swedish tech death wrecking crew Spawn of Possession, Retromorphosis emerged featuring the bulk of the SoP line-up and a rejuvenated sound, both familiar and energized enough to craft a new chapter of tech death excellence. Herein lies the key to the album’s success. SoP was such a special and unique entity in the tech death field. Retromorphosis pulls the signature songwriting components and twists and contorts them into their own slick interpretation, without simply rehashing past glories. Psalmus Mortis proved to have significant staying power since dropping early in the year, even amidst a pretty stacked year for quality death and tech death albums. Retromorphosis decorate their knotty, fluid and aggressive compositions with tasteful synth work, symphonic flourishes and bedazzling solos, whether charting smartly progressive, labyrinthine terrain (“The Tree,” “Machine”), and thrashy, warped tech death (“Aunt Christie’s Will,” “Vanished,” “Retromorphosis”).
#4. Terror Corpse // Ash Eclipses Flesh – After already delivering a killer grind opus earlier in the year, Terror Corpse got the creative juices flowing again in dropping a full-length debut of immense power and old school grit. Featuring a power-packed lineup featuring past and present members of acts including Malignant Altar, Oceans of Slumber, Necrofier, and Insect Warfare, Terror Corpse comes seasoned with death metal wisdom and experience. Despite a lack of innovation, Terror Corpse winds back the clock and transcends the typical old school death metal hordes. Injecting venomous strains of grind, death-doom, sinister atmospheres, and gut-churning brutality into beefy, riff-driven songs that fondly recall death metal’s glory days, Terror Corpse forge ahead into the here and now with their own character and inspired songwriting. Topped by a bevy of instantly gratifying, oozing riffs and Dobber Beverly’s elite drumming, Ash Eclipses Flesh is a gripping old school death experience.
#3. Dax Riggs // 7 Songs For Spiders – The return of Dax Riggs, and by extension the most unexpected re-emergence of the legendary Acid Bath, were surely two of the most heartwarming music moments of 2025. As a longtime devotee of both Dax and Acid Bath, I had begun worrying that Dax’s music-making days had passed as he slunk into the background and essentially dropped off the radar for the best part of fifteen years. While holding out slim hope Acid Bath will decide to cross our shores, I am stoked Dax and crew are getting the long-overdue credit and exposure they deserve. Though not strictly metal, Dax’s comeback album, and first since 2010’s Say Goodnight to the World, marks a triumphant and warm, comforting return from an underground icon. 7 Songs for Spiders delivered the goods, as Dax and friends dropped an album with a familiar, nostalgic feel that refuses to rest on its laurels. Riggs’ defining vocals sound as vital and deliciously smoky as ever, weaving signature morbid tales, deadly hooks, and earworm melodies through subdued yet deceptively hefty and bluesy folk-doom ditties.
#2. Messa // The Spin – It would be an oversimplification to describe Messa’s fourth LP as a streamlined version of the enigmatic Italian band’s doom-centric formula. Each album has impressed in its own unique way, adding intoxicating twists and charm to continually evolve and refresh their sound. The Spin carries over elements of their past works and character-defining idiosyncrasies, yet feels like Messa’s most laser-focused, accessible, and direct album to date, and also one of their best. While I’ve enjoyed each of the band’s prior works, The Spin is the band’s most efficient and instantly gratifying, and addictive album. Easily Messa’s shortest opus, The Spin, uncorks killer tune after tune. Sumptuous melodies and rich textures color blockbuster doom bangers (“At Races,” “Fire on the Roof”), residing alongside atmospheric, jazz-dappled charmers (“The Dress”), bluesy, emotive slow burners (“Immolation”), and brooding, psych-tinged doom (“Thicker Blood”).
#1. Tómarúm // Beyond Obsidian Euphoria – Weirdly enough, my number one picks often don’t materialize as obviously as one might expect. This has largely been a trend throughout my tenure here at Angry Metal Guy. In all honesty, any of the top three could have been interchangeable in the top spot, but I reserved top honors for the spectacular second LP from Atlanta band Tómarúm. All the more surprising due to sleeping on their well-received debut, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria smacked me upside the cranium with an explosion of creativity and ambitious songcraft, encompassing elements of progressive black, melodic death, and tech death bombast. It’s an overly ambitious, sometimes slightly messy masterwork. Yet the eye-watering 68 minutes largely warrant its exhaustive length. Sure, shrewd editing here and there may have tightened things up. However, the whole experience is so consistently gripping and superbly written and performed that minor quibbles are squashed well below the surface. This fully loaded, immersive masterwork sparkles and scorches through tremendously crafted, multi-faceted compositions, including standout epics, “Shallow Ecstasy,” “Shed This Erroneous Skin,” and “Silver, Ashen Tears,” nestled harmoniously against the blunt force discordance of ‘Blood Mirage,” and compact progressive fireworks of closer “Becoming the Stone Icon (Obsidian Reprise).”
Honorable Mentions:
- Sigh // I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV – Skepticism of the dangerous game of the re-record was swept aside in a stunning reimagining of their 2007 classic.
- Plasmodulated // An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell – The album title says it all. Delightfully scabby, grooving old school death, seasoned with quirky Voivodisms.
- Igorrr // Amen – When seeking that taste of batshit crazy experimentation and avant-garde lunacy, Amen proved a reliable tonic. A challenging, though freakishly creative and addicting listen.
- Blood Vulture // Die Close – A grungy, Gothy slab of doom designed by talented Two Minutes to Late Night host Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall). The future appears bright, judging by this highly addictive debut, which garnered lots of rotation throughout the year.
- Vittra // Intense Indifference – Hugely impressive melodic death platter from Swedish up-and-comers Vittra. Drawing inspiration from their homeland’s classic melodeath past, Vittra injects oodles of thrashy energy, inspired axework, and hooky songcraft, bringing a fresh edge to a retro sound.
- Dormant Ordeal // Tooth and Nail – Perhaps a little late on this one, however, after spending considerable time with Dormant Ordeal’s latest opus, the hype and critical praise are indeed justified—a fine example of brutal, crushing Polish blackened death.
- Species // Changelings – Admittedly, like various other overlooked gems, I didn’t spend as much time as I’d like with Changelings. But catching up has been a blast. Species brought the weird on this wacky, proggy technical thrash thrill ride, not to be missed.
Disappointment o’ the Year:
Sadly, we lost a number of metal legends in 2025, headlined by three individual legends that had a profound impact on me over the years. There will never be a larger-than-life frontman/metal icon like Ozzy Osbourne. While his demise was not unexpected, it left a huge void and an incredible legacy never to be matched. At the Gates and all-around iconic Swedish vocalist Tomas Lindberg sadly passed away following a horrible illness, while former Mastodon guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds tragically passed in a motor vehicle accident. Rest in Peace legends….
Non-Heavy Picks (snapshot):
- Aesop Rock (Black Hole Superette & I Heard It’s a Mess There Too), clipping., Bon Iver, Miguel.
Song o’ the Year:
Messa – “Fire on the Roof” – Narrowing down a definitive song o’ the year candidate is often a futile task. Twenty-twenty-five was no exception. Rather than overthink or analyze the situation, I locked in one of the year’s most addictive, replayable gems from Messa’s stunning fourth LP, The Spin.
Dear Hollow
Welcome to the end of 2025! We at AMG hope the year has been kind to you—that your lives are filled with love, your hearts with joy, and our world with peace. I hope that you have found your people and have those you can lean on. If we have ever given you a voice, a platform, or just love and support when you need it, then we have done our jobs.
It feels redundant to say that this year has been a roller coaster, but 2025 pulled no punches. In May, the Hollow household welcomed a second kiddo, a boy, into the fold. He is a supremely easy, endlessly happy little guy, but the stresses of parenthood—and especially of two kids—are a daily lesson of “bend, don’t break.” Our daughter is now four, and learns new things and says sassy things day in and day out, enjoying gymnastics and dancing, and singing around the house for fun.
My reviewing has remained steady this year, if not a little less than the usual. Between parenting two kids, working as a high school English teacher to increasingly apathetic kids, working on a noir crime novel that has paid dividends in complexity (and all the noir jazz my ears can handle),1 continuing to unpack my upbringing and trauma and how they all have affected my views on family, relationships, and self-love, you can imagine how wild each day has been. But I’ve somehow managed it, and the end of the year is here to celebrate it.
Special shout-outs to those who have been instrumental in my journey this year: the ineffable and tireless dream team of Steel Druhm and Angry Metal Guy, the genre-confusing Dolphin Whisperer, my fellow Whitechapel apologists Iceberg and Alekhines Gun, and those who have been supportive all year (Thus Spoke, Killjoy, and Mystikus Hugebeard). Couldn’t have done it without y’all.
To the metal!
#ish. Kalaveraztekah // Nikan Axkan – Subject of a rollicking Rodeö, Mexico’s Kalaveraztekah’s balance of cosmic Aztec atmosphere and cutthroat death metal is sublime. Riffs for days balanced by an experimental madness that conjures cosmic destruction and rebirth, Nikan Axkan recalls the antics of Hell:on, folk influence only sharpens its attack and injects an atmosphere of foreboding. Refusing both gimmick and total immersion, Nikan Axkan is riffy, fun, and evocative, made for a mosh-pit and a soundtrack for the destruction of the Five Suns.
#10. La Torture des Ténèbres // Episode VIII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor – If you’re like MalteBrigge, you’ll probably end up with tinnitus and a sprained shoulder once Episode VIII kicks in, but Ottawa one-woman raw black metal/noise outfit La Torture des Ténèbres returns to the bleak space-faring atompunk of its 2016 debuts alongsdie the dystopic rage that pervades more recent efforts – moments of peace adding dimension and texture. La Torture des Ténèbres is about as ambitious as raw black metal can get.
#9. Imperial Triumphant // Goldstar – Goldstar is Imperial Triumphant’s most accessible album, the NYC trio’s signature brand of death/black and jazz funneled into a straightforward art-deco-themed brutalizing. It’s no less adventurous, always punishing, and will stay with you long after your ears stop ringing from the sound of New York City taxis and decadent skyscrapers displayed in extreme metal format: more straightforward, more melodic. While its recent predecessors are an affluent nightlife, Goldstar offers a sunbathed New York City.
#8. Howling Giant // Crucible & Ruin – Nashville’s stoner outfit Howling Giant reconciles the melodies and riffs, exploratory songwriting, and mammoth hooks gathering in each movement of Crucible & Ruin. Featuring hints of knuckleheaded sludge and proggy chord progressions, it’s an album that keeps your attention for forty-eight minutes. New member Adrian Zambrano offers more atmosphere and layers of guitar riffs and melodies to go with the surefire dichotomy of instrumental heft and vocal ethereality. Crucible & Ruin is an experience of fun, subtlety, and above all, riffs.
#7. Geese // Getting Killed – Perhaps the vocals of NYC’s Geese don’t bother me because of Cameron Winters’ similarity to singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan,2 so the album’s sonic anxiety of noise rock, post-punk, country, and blues that creep in and out like lovers who never stay does not bother me. Getting Killed feels viciously aggressive, venomously satirical, and fluid and elastic in its humble movements. Geese are overrated Pitchfork-bait, sure, but an overrated hill to get killed upon regardless.
#6. Structure // Heritage – Steel Druhm’s the real masochist for low and slow, but the balance of sad death/doom and devastating funeral doom in Netherland’s Structure is special. The guitar work in the mammoth riffs, melodic leads, and climactic solos has just a much of a voice to contribute as Pim Blankenstein’s formidable roars—as if griever and grieved converse in both melancholy and rage. Heritage is Structure paying homage to doom metal’s contemplation while paying its dues in death metal’s viciousness – pure devastation.
#5. Patristic // Catechesis – Catechesis is born out of the “impending shadow of the cross.” As tumultuous as the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the church and pagan rebellion, the black/death of Rome’s Patristic assaults the ears with tension, fury, and reverence. The first act is the holy war, a rationalization of steel and zealotry, while the second is the way the soldier tells it to his children, the lessons and cautions borne of blind faith and its devastation. Cathechesis is not only fiery sermons and unending blasphemy, but regret and meditation.
#4. In Mourning // The Immortal – I’ve loved Sweden’s In Mourning since their 2010 album Monolith: balancing chuggy guitars, progressive songwriting, and the slightest hints of doom (such as in 2008’s Shrouded Divine). The Immortal is an album that balances The Bleeding Veil’s darker elements, Garden of Storms’ signature melody, and The Weight of Oceans’ iconic patience. The Immortal offers yearning melodies and chords alongside vicious riffs, and melodeath has never sounded so good.
#3. Yellow Eyes // Confusion Gate – New York’s Yellow Eyes’ Confusion Gate conveys a black metal place better than most, an environment teeming with life. Like the Romantic Sublime, it maintains a crystalline beauty, like a light scattering through broken glass, and a madness born of terror—at the source of the light. Here is the crux of it, from poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s “The First Elegy”;
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angels’
Orders? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly to his heart: I’d be consumed
in his more potent being. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we can still barely endure,
and while we stand in wonder it coolly disdains
to destroy us. Every Angel is terrifying.#2. Igorrr // Amen – Gautier Serre’s work with Igorrr has rarely felt bad, but Amen evolves it from his typical standard. You get the typical apeshit antics in the midsection, but a full band fleshes out the jewel-encrusted skeleton for a fully, nearly spiritual experience. Minimalist compositions build upon a breakbeat before cracking into a full choir and death metal experience, while an overwhelming onslaught of insanity reminds us who exactly we’re listening to. Amen is hella fun, as expected, but also something we can take seriously.
#1. Primitive Man // Observance – Primitive Man is the heaviest band on the planet. While I’ve appreciated the Denver trio’s pitch-black approach to death metal laced with noise, doom, and sludge—from afar—Observance booked me in with upbeat tempos and a surprising melody. It swallows you whole like any good Primitive Man album ought to, but the devotion to deteriorating songwriting and weaponized noise. The atmospheric death/sludge counterpart to the riffs of Warcrab, for instance, Primitive Man offers a sound like no other—and it’s the best of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
- The Acacia Strain // You Are Safe From God Here – While incorporating the same ol’ hardcore beatdown you expect from the Massachusetts deathcore OGs,3 denser tones make for higher blasphemy. Simple math, trust me.
- Ethel Cain // Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You – Leaving behind the more experimental and darker tones in noise/drone counterpart Perverts, a more atmospheric and contemplative direction showcases the singer-songwriter’s nostalgic and gentle storytelling that does not shy away from darkness.
- Changeling // Changeling – While lacking the darkness and weight of Ingurgitating Oblivion, guitarist Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger is granted fretless freedom in a tech-death album whose lightness and amorphousness guide ethereal constructions of proggy sensibilities. More Dolphin Whisperer fare but still dope as hell.
- Author & Punisher // Nocturnal Birding – Tristan Shone releases an industrial sludge album that hits like an anvil, casting aside the more atmospheric tendencies for a headbanging good time, amplified by the crunch of new guitarist Doug Sabolick. Melodic motifs based on the birdcalls of migratory birds as a metaphor for immigrants, Shone and Sabolick offer the short and sweet despite a heavy-handed subject.
- Bad Angels // Until Silence – A late-year find, Polish composer Adrian Anioł concocts dense dark ambient sprawls with moody jazz, haunting saxophone glitches, ominous upright bass, and pitch-black meandering. Perfect for walks on spooky rainy nights.
Songs o’ the Year:
- Ethel Cain – “Dust Bowl”4
Surprises o’ the Year
- KPop Demon Hunters Soundtrack – Mainly, how much time I devoted to it. What can I say? I’m gonna be, gonna be golden.
- SpiritWorld // Helldorado – Knuckleheaded riffs for days.5
Disappointments o’ the Year
- Messa // The Spin – Maybe it’s because I saturated my year with sultry noir jazz, but Messa shorts its doom metal with some goofy jazz—all novelty, no substance.
- Orbit Culture // Death Above Life – Once again, the melodeath/thrash riff reigns supreme, but until they can get out from behind the wall of compression, the Swedes continue to tread water.
- Vildhjarta // Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar – The undersung princes of atmodjent show up with the swampy djunz and forsake everything that makes them legendary. It’s djent—disappointingly nothing more.
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Saunders and Dear Hollow’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025 By Steel DruhmSaunders
Yes, folks and loyal AMG readers and devotees, another year is nearly done and dusted. As per tradition, the time has come to share reflections and recommendations from another eventful year. Personally, 2025 threw down some rough moments and life challenges, navigating a spike in anxiety-driven mental and physical health concerns. Previously, I have mentioned how much AMG has grounded me over the years, keeping my focus and motivation on track when other parts of life navigate turbulence, stress, or uncertainty. This has proven especially pivotal this year and highlights the importance of contributing in some small way to this amazing blog and how much it means to me.
Highlights… After a few lean years post-pandemic on the gig front, as an avid concertgoer, 2025 proved productive for getting my mojo back for live music. I caught Karnivool in action for the first time in over a decade, ripping through infectious prog metal anthems and impressive new jams from their highly anticipated album set to drop in early 2026. An unexpected gig was a solo show in my hometown from none other than former Fear Factory legend Burton C Bell, performing in a local dive venue. Ploughing through career classics and some solo material, the setlist offered up gems like “Drive Boy Shooting,” “Scapegoat,” “Scumgrief,” and “Replica.” It was a nostalgic joy.
Meanwhile, after years of stubbornly jaded neglect, I finally bit the bullet and witnessed Metallica live. Probably a couple of decades too late, however, as an impressionable young’un raised on early Metallica, it was a cool experience to finally see the aging juggernaut in a stadium setting that will remain in the memory bank for years to come. A couple of days later, I once again caught the mighty Opeth at the iconic Sydney Opera House with quality support from Caligula’s Horse, before rounding out the year by finally seeing Dying Fetus live in an extra beefy triple bill including Ashen and 200 Stab Wounds. Good times indeed….
Big thanks to everyone for keeping this mighty blog running and cogs turning. From the ever-growing readership and awesome AMG community, through the entire, recently beefed-up writing crew, inspiring colleagues and all-around awesome people, to the higher powers (Steel Druhm, Angry Metal Guy, Sentynel, Doc Grier, and all the other editors) for their extra behind-the-scenes work whipping us into line. Cheers all to a safe, happy, and healthy 2026.
#ish: Green Carnation // A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia – After being mesmerized by Green Carnation’s timeless opus Light of Day, Day of Darkness many years ago, I never really expanded my listening beyond that widely regarded masterpiece. Then comeback album Leaves of Yesteryear dropped in 2020 and turned me from a casual listener into an avid fan of their work. A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia signals a long-awaited return and the first part of a planned trilogy from the seasoned Norwegian veterans of classy, mood-driven progressive metal. Admittedly, this album didn’t reach the dizzying heights or quite gain the traction of its predecessor. Nor does it disappoint, adding another finely crafted chapter in Green Carnation’s enduring career, while building excitement for the two albums to complete the trilogy. Meticulously crafted and chock full of emotive, silky, and delightfully catchy gems, A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia is another top-shelf prog metal jam.
#10. Caustic Wound // Grinding Mechanism of Torment – Back in 2020, Seattle’s Caustic Wound emerged from the muck and unleashed a gnarly ball of unvarnished deathgrind rage courtesy of debut, Death Posture. Due to the endearing old school charms and brawling, stomping attack, Death Posture left a lasting impression, amping anticipation for their long-awaited return on sophomore slab, Grinding Mechanism of Torment. Though a little less refined and losing a smidgen of the debut’s grimy charm, Caustic Wound otherwise pounded out wickedly crunchy, buzzsawing deathgrind with violent glee, infectiousness, and subtle variety to keep you coming back for more. The album’s tight construction and propulsive performances deftly harness the controlled chaos and blasty, groove-laced fun, as the likes of “Drone Terror,” “Advanced Killing Methods,” and “Blood Battery” attest.
#9. Phantom Spell // Heather & Hearth – One of the purest and nostalgia-driven prog releases of 2025, the sophomore album from Seven Sisters singer/guitarist Kyle McNeill was a progtastic delight, wielding old-timey, ’70s prog feels with a transportive, fantastical flair. Phantom Spell crafted a timeless, epic yet remarkably fresh experience, despite the obvious devotion to progressive rock legends and eras of the past. Dueling guitar leads, rollicking organ, and tight, expressive rhythms shine across a superbly performed and produced opus. For all the musical smarts, clever progressive arrangements, and technical showmanship, McNeill’s songwriting and powerful vocals are spot on, resulting in a nuanced though hugely hooky and focused collection, infused with folk and classic heavy metal elements, complementing the classic progressive rock core. Bookended by two spectacular epics (‘The Autumn Citadel” and stunning, heart-wrenching melodies of the closing title track), Heather & Hearth is equally compelling in its more compact, punchy forms (“‘Evil Hand,” “Siren Song”).
#8. Barren Path // Grieving – Grind delivered big time in 2025, with numerous high-quality releases to absorb. None quite delivered the hammer blow impact of the debut LP from Barren Path, featuring Gridlink alumni, including grind shredding extraordinaire Takafumi Matsubara. It’s amazing what can be achieved in a manic thirteen minutes of calculated mayhem and precision deathgrind madness. Barren Path shares traits with Gridlink’s razor-sharp precision and abrasive intensity; however, it refuses to be pigeonholed or cast into the shadows of the Gridlink legacy. Beefy production, coupled with a prominent death metal influence, riffs to burn, gripping performances, and techy edge, Grieving loudly announced Barren Path as the next innovative heavy hitter to take the grind scene by storm. All too brief if utterly compelling, I’m excited to see what this elite line-up can cook up next as they set about creating their own unmatched legacy.
#7. Changeling // Changeling – For the second time in my 2025 top ten, an album surpasses the hour-length mark, often questionable territory as far as optimal album length. The prolific Tom Geldschläger (aka Fountainhead) hired an army of high-profile musicians and contributors to bring his elaborate progressive death metal vision to vibrant life with an overstuffed and incredibly entertaining, wildly ambitious debut opus. Amongst the core lineup, Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) lends his unique vocals, Virvum’s Arran McSporran features on fretless bass, and powerhouse Mike Keller (ex-Fear Factory, Raven, Malignancy) mans the kit, while a stack of instruments, choirs, and guest musicians add further dimensions and intricacies to the color palette. Changeling is guilty of overreaching on occasions, and the whole thing is an overstimulating example of excess. And though far from perfect, Changeling is nevertheless an astonishingly complex, progressive, and technical marvel. Its bombastic, adventurous gallop, slick songcraft, earwormy hook,s and otherworldly melodies conjure up a hugely inventive and endlessly fun platter.
#6. Turian // Blood Quantum Blues – Generally, I tread carefully from anything core-related in the realms of hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore. I am not opposed to each style, but usually it takes a certain something to win me over. Another winning recommendation from the flippered one, Blood Quantum Blues, the third LP from Seattle metallic hardcore merchants Turian, found the band toying and upending their sound in wonderfully creative and ambitious fashion. Like other genre-busting albums, such as The Shape of Punk to Come and Miss Machine, Turian fuck with the conventions of their metallic hardcore. Shattering boundaries by lacing their signature sound with sharply integrated elements of rock, electronics, sludge, and grind, whipped into a grooving, raw smackdown and addictive delight, Turian pulls no punches and pushes their songwriting creativity to the limit. The line-up nails the newfound songwriting versatility through tight, explosive performances, topped by the raw intensity and charismatic vocals of Vern Metztli-Moon, who channels deeply personal, trauma-informed reflections of her Native American heritage, with vigor and rage.
#5. Retromorphosis // Psalmus Mortis – Carrying on the timeless legacy of legendary Swedish tech death wrecking crew Spawn of Possession, Retromorphosis emerged featuring the bulk of the SoP line-up and a rejuvenated sound, both familiar and energized enough to craft a new chapter of tech death excellence. Herein lies the key to the album’s success. SoP was such a special and unique entity in the tech death field. Retromorphosis pulls the signature songwriting components and twists and contorts them into their own slick interpretation, without simply rehashing past glories. Psalmus Mortis proved to have significant staying power since dropping early in the year, even amidst a pretty stacked year for quality death and tech death albums. Retromorphosis decorate their knotty, fluid and aggressive compositions with tasteful synth work, symphonic flourishes and bedazzling solos, whether charting smartly progressive, labyrinthine terrain (“The Tree,” “Machine”), and thrashy, warped tech death (“Aunt Christie’s Will,” “Vanished,” “Retromorphosis”).
#4. Terror Corpse // Ash Eclipses Flesh – After already delivering a killer grind opus earlier in the year, Terror Corpse got the creative juices flowing again in dropping a full-length debut of immense power and old school grit. Featuring a power-packed lineup featuring past and present members of acts including Malignant Altar, Oceans of Slumber, Necrofier, and Insect Warfare, Terror Corpse comes seasoned with death metal wisdom and experience. Despite a lack of innovation, Terror Corpse winds back the clock and transcends the typical old school death metal hordes. Injecting venomous strains of grind, death-doom, sinister atmospheres, and gut-churning brutality into beefy, riff-driven songs that fondly recall death metal’s glory days, Terror Corpse forge ahead into the here and now with their own character and inspired songwriting. Topped by a bevy of instantly gratifying, oozing riffs and Dobber Beverly’s elite drumming, Ash Eclipses Flesh is a gripping old school death experience.
#3. Dax Riggs // 7 Songs For Spiders – The return of Dax Riggs, and by extension the most unexpected re-emergence of the legendary Acid Bath, were surely two of the most heartwarming music moments of 2025. As a longtime devotee of both Dax and Acid Bath, I had begun worrying that Dax’s music-making days had passed as he slunk into the background and essentially dropped off the radar for the best part of fifteen years. While holding out slim hope Acid Bath will decide to cross our shores, I am stoked Dax and crew are getting the long-overdue credit and exposure they deserve. Though not strictly metal, Dax’s comeback album, and first since 2010’s Say Goodnight to the World, marks a triumphant and warm, comforting return from an underground icon. 7 Songs for Spiders delivered the goods, as Dax and friends dropped an album with a familiar, nostalgic feel that refuses to rest on its laurels. Riggs’ defining vocals sound as vital and deliciously smoky as ever, weaving signature morbid tales, deadly hooks, and earworm melodies through subdued yet deceptively hefty and bluesy folk-doom ditties.
#2. Messa // The Spin – It would be an oversimplification to describe Messa’s fourth LP as a streamlined version of the enigmatic Italian band’s doom-centric formula. Each album has impressed in its own unique way, adding intoxicating twists and charm to continually evolve and refresh their sound. The Spin carries over elements of their past works and character-defining idiosyncrasies, yet feels like Messa’s most laser-focused, accessible, and direct album to date, and also one of their best. While I’ve enjoyed each of the band’s prior works, The Spin is the band’s most efficient and instantly gratifying, and addictive album. Easily Messa’s shortest opus, The Spin, uncorks killer tune after tune. Sumptuous melodies and rich textures color blockbuster doom bangers (“At Races,” “Fire on the Roof”), residing alongside atmospheric, jazz-dappled charmers (“The Dress”), bluesy, emotive slow burners (“Immolation”), and brooding, psych-tinged doom (“Thicker Blood”).
#1. Tómarúm // Beyond Obsidian Euphoria – Weirdly enough, my number one picks often don’t materialize as obviously as one might expect. This has largely been a trend throughout my tenure here at Angry Metal Guy. In all honesty, any of the top three could have been interchangeable in the top spot, but I reserved top honors for the spectacular second LP from Atlanta band Tómarúm. All the more surprising due to sleeping on their well-received debut, Beyond Obsidian Euphoria smacked me upside the cranium with an explosion of creativity and ambitious songcraft, encompassing elements of progressive black, melodic death, and tech death bombast. It’s an overly ambitious, sometimes slightly messy masterwork. Yet the eye-watering 68 minutes largely warrant its exhaustive length. Sure, shrewd editing here and there may have tightened things up. However, the whole experience is so consistently gripping and superbly written and performed that minor quibbles are squashed well below the surface. This fully loaded, immersive masterwork sparkles and scorches through tremendously crafted, multi-faceted compositions, including standout epics, “Shallow Ecstasy,” “Shed This Erroneous Skin,” and “Silver, Ashen Tears,” nestled harmoniously against the blunt force discordance of ‘Blood Mirage,” and compact progressive fireworks of closer “Becoming the Stone Icon (Obsidian Reprise).”
Honorable Mentions:
- Sigh // I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV – Skepticism of the dangerous game of the re-record was swept aside in a stunning reimagining of their 2007 classic.
- Plasmodulated // An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell – The album title says it all. Delightfully scabby, grooving old school death, seasoned with quirky Voivodisms.
- Igorrr // Amen – When seeking that taste of batshit crazy experimentation and avant-garde lunacy, Amen proved a reliable tonic. A challenging, though freakishly creative and addicting listen.
- Blood Vulture // Die Close – A grungy, Gothy slab of doom designed by talented Two Minutes to Late Night host Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall). The future appears bright, judging by this highly addictive debut, which garnered lots of rotation throughout the year.
- Vittra // Intense Indifference – Hugely impressive melodic death platter from Swedish up-and-comers Vittra. Drawing inspiration from their homeland’s classic melodeath past, Vittra injects oodles of thrashy energy, inspired axework, and hooky songcraft, bringing a fresh edge to a retro sound.
- Dormant Ordeal // Tooth and Nail – Perhaps a little late on this one, however, after spending considerable time with Dormant Ordeal’s latest opus, the hype and critical praise are indeed justified—a fine example of brutal, crushing Polish blackened death.
- Species // Changelings – Admittedly, like various other overlooked gems, I didn’t spend as much time as I’d like with Changelings. But catching up has been a blast. Species brought the weird on this wacky, proggy technical thrash thrill ride, not to be missed.
Disappointment o’ the Year:
Sadly, we lost a number of metal legends in 2025, headlined by three individual legends that had a profound impact on me over the years. There will never be a larger-than-life frontman/metal icon like Ozzy Osbourne. While his demise was not unexpected, it left a huge void and an incredible legacy never to be matched. At the Gates and all-around iconic Swedish vocalist Tomas Lindberg sadly passed away following a horrible illness, while former Mastodon guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds tragically passed in a motor vehicle accident. Rest in Peace legends….
Non-Heavy Picks (snapshot):
- Aesop Rock (Black Hole Superette & I Heard It’s a Mess There Too), clipping., Bon Iver, Miguel.
Song o’ the Year:
Messa – “Fire on the Roof” – Narrowing down a definitive song o’ the year candidate is often a futile task. Twenty-twenty-five was no exception. Rather than overthink or analyze the situation, I locked in one of the year’s most addictive, replayable gems from Messa’s stunning fourth LP, The Spin.
Dear Hollow
Welcome to the end of 2025! We at AMG hope the year has been kind to you—that your lives are filled with love, your hearts with joy, and our world with peace. I hope that you have found your people and have those you can lean on. If we have ever given you a voice, a platform, or just love and support when you need it, then we have done our jobs.
It feels redundant to say that this year has been a roller coaster, but 2025 pulled no punches. In May, the Hollow household welcomed a second kiddo, a boy, into the fold. He is a supremely easy, endlessly happy little guy, but the stresses of parenthood—and especially of two kids—are a daily lesson of “bend, don’t break.” Our daughter is now four, and learns new things and says sassy things day in and day out, enjoying gymnastics and dancing, and singing around the house for fun.
My reviewing has remained steady this year, if not a little less than the usual. Between parenting two kids, working as a high school English teacher to increasingly apathetic kids, working on a noir crime novel that has paid dividends in complexity (and all the noir jazz my ears can handle),1 continuing to unpack my upbringing and trauma and how they all have affected my views on family, relationships, and self-love, you can imagine how wild each day has been. But I’ve somehow managed it, and the end of the year is here to celebrate it.
Special shout-outs to those who have been instrumental in my journey this year: the ineffable and tireless dream team of Steel Druhm and Angry Metal Guy, the genre-confusing Dolphin Whisperer, my fellow Whitechapel apologists Iceberg and Alekhines Gun, and those who have been supportive all year (Thus Spoke, Killjoy, and Mystikus Hugebeard). Couldn’t have done it without y’all.
To the metal!
#ish. Kalaveraztekah // Nikan Axkan – Subject of a rollicking Rodeö, Mexico’s Kalaveraztekah’s balance of cosmic Aztec atmosphere and cutthroat death metal is sublime. Riffs for days balanced by an experimental madness that conjures cosmic destruction and rebirth, Nikan Axkan recalls the antics of Hell:on, folk influence only sharpens its attack and injects an atmosphere of foreboding. Refusing both gimmick and total immersion, Nikan Axkan is riffy, fun, and evocative, made for a mosh-pit and a soundtrack for the destruction of the Five Suns.
#10. La Torture des Ténèbres // Episode VIII – Revenge of Unfailing Valor – If you’re like MalteBrigge, you’ll probably end up with tinnitus and a sprained shoulder once Episode VIII kicks in, but Ottawa one-woman raw black metal/noise outfit La Torture des Ténèbres returns to the bleak space-faring atompunk of its 2016 debuts alongsdie the dystopic rage that pervades more recent efforts – moments of peace adding dimension and texture. La Torture des Ténèbres is about as ambitious as raw black metal can get.
#9. Imperial Triumphant // Goldstar – Goldstar is Imperial Triumphant’s most accessible album, the NYC trio’s signature brand of death/black and jazz funneled into a straightforward art-deco-themed brutalizing. It’s no less adventurous, always punishing, and will stay with you long after your ears stop ringing from the sound of New York City taxis and decadent skyscrapers displayed in extreme metal format: more straightforward, more melodic. While its recent predecessors are an affluent nightlife, Goldstar offers a sunbathed New York City.
#8. Howling Giant // Crucible & Ruin – Nashville’s stoner outfit Howling Giant reconciles the melodies and riffs, exploratory songwriting, and mammoth hooks gathering in each movement of Crucible & Ruin. Featuring hints of knuckleheaded sludge and proggy chord progressions, it’s an album that keeps your attention for forty-eight minutes. New member Adrian Zambrano offers more atmosphere and layers of guitar riffs and melodies to go with the surefire dichotomy of instrumental heft and vocal ethereality. Crucible & Ruin is an experience of fun, subtlety, and above all, riffs.
#7. Geese // Getting Killed – Perhaps the vocals of NYC’s Geese don’t bother me because of Cameron Winters’ similarity to singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan,2 so the album’s sonic anxiety of noise rock, post-punk, country, and blues that creep in and out like lovers who never stay does not bother me. Getting Killed feels viciously aggressive, venomously satirical, and fluid and elastic in its humble movements. Geese are overrated Pitchfork-bait, sure, but an overrated hill to get killed upon regardless.
#6. Structure // Heritage – Steel Druhm’s the real masochist for low and slow, but the balance of sad death/doom and devastating funeral doom in Netherland’s Structure is special. The guitar work in the mammoth riffs, melodic leads, and climactic solos has just a much of a voice to contribute as Pim Blankenstein’s formidable roars—as if griever and grieved converse in both melancholy and rage. Heritage is Structure paying homage to doom metal’s contemplation while paying its dues in death metal’s viciousness – pure devastation.
#5. Patristic // Catechesis – Catechesis is born out of the “impending shadow of the cross.” As tumultuous as the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the church and pagan rebellion, the black/death of Rome’s Patristic assaults the ears with tension, fury, and reverence. The first act is the holy war, a rationalization of steel and zealotry, while the second is the way the soldier tells it to his children, the lessons and cautions borne of blind faith and its devastation. Cathechesis is not only fiery sermons and unending blasphemy, but regret and meditation.
#4. In Mourning // The Immortal – I’ve loved Sweden’s In Mourning since their 2010 album Monolith: balancing chuggy guitars, progressive songwriting, and the slightest hints of doom (such as in 2008’s Shrouded Divine). The Immortal is an album that balances The Bleeding Veil’s darker elements, Garden of Storms’ signature melody, and The Weight of Oceans’ iconic patience. The Immortal offers yearning melodies and chords alongside vicious riffs, and melodeath has never sounded so good.
#3. Yellow Eyes // Confusion Gate – New York’s Yellow Eyes’ Confusion Gate conveys a black metal place better than most, an environment teeming with life. Like the Romantic Sublime, it maintains a crystalline beauty, like a light scattering through broken glass, and a madness born of terror—at the source of the light. Here is the crux of it, from poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s “The First Elegy”;
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angels’
Orders? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly to his heart: I’d be consumed
in his more potent being. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we can still barely endure,
and while we stand in wonder it coolly disdains
to destroy us. Every Angel is terrifying.#2. Igorrr // Amen – Gautier Serre’s work with Igorrr has rarely felt bad, but Amen evolves it from his typical standard. You get the typical apeshit antics in the midsection, but a full band fleshes out the jewel-encrusted skeleton for a fully, nearly spiritual experience. Minimalist compositions build upon a breakbeat before cracking into a full choir and death metal experience, while an overwhelming onslaught of insanity reminds us who exactly we’re listening to. Amen is hella fun, as expected, but also something we can take seriously.
#1. Primitive Man // Observance – Primitive Man is the heaviest band on the planet. While I’ve appreciated the Denver trio’s pitch-black approach to death metal laced with noise, doom, and sludge—from afar—Observance booked me in with upbeat tempos and a surprising melody. It swallows you whole like any good Primitive Man album ought to, but the devotion to deteriorating songwriting and weaponized noise. The atmospheric death/sludge counterpart to the riffs of Warcrab, for instance, Primitive Man offers a sound like no other—and it’s the best of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
- The Acacia Strain // You Are Safe From God Here – While incorporating the same ol’ hardcore beatdown you expect from the Massachusetts deathcore OGs,3 denser tones make for higher blasphemy. Simple math, trust me.
- Ethel Cain // Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You – Leaving behind the more experimental and darker tones in noise/drone counterpart Perverts, a more atmospheric and contemplative direction showcases the singer-songwriter’s nostalgic and gentle storytelling that does not shy away from darkness.
- Changeling // Changeling – While lacking the darkness and weight of Ingurgitating Oblivion, guitarist Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger is granted fretless freedom in a tech-death album whose lightness and amorphousness guide ethereal constructions of proggy sensibilities. More Dolphin Whisperer fare but still dope as hell.
- Author & Punisher // Nocturnal Birding – Tristan Shone releases an industrial sludge album that hits like an anvil, casting aside the more atmospheric tendencies for a headbanging good time, amplified by the crunch of new guitarist Doug Sabolick. Melodic motifs based on the birdcalls of migratory birds as a metaphor for immigrants, Shone and Sabolick offer the short and sweet despite a heavy-handed subject.
- Bad Angels // Until Silence – A late-year find, Polish composer Adrian Anioł concocts dense dark ambient sprawls with moody jazz, haunting saxophone glitches, ominous upright bass, and pitch-black meandering. Perfect for walks on spooky rainy nights.
Songs o’ the Year:
- Ethel Cain – “Dust Bowl”4
Surprises o’ the Year
- KPop Demon Hunters Soundtrack – Mainly, how much time I devoted to it. What can I say? I’m gonna be, gonna be golden.
- SpiritWorld // Helldorado – Knuckleheaded riffs for days.5
Disappointments o’ the Year
- Messa // The Spin – Maybe it’s because I saturated my year with sultry noir jazz, but Messa shorts its doom metal with some goofy jazz—all novelty, no substance.
- Orbit Culture // Death Above Life – Once again, the melodeath/thrash riff reigns supreme, but until they can get out from behind the wall of compression, the Swedes continue to tread water.
- Vildhjarta // Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar – The undersung princes of atmodjent show up with the swampy djunz and forsake everything that makes them legendary. It’s djent—disappointingly nothing more.
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Hallitus keksinee jonkin kivan energisen valon ruokapankkien seiniä koristamaan. Solidaarisuutta nääs.
#äärioikeistohallitus #hirviohallitus #köyhyys #lapset #lapsiperheet #lapsiperhekoyhyys -
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Olemme valo pimeydessä. Ja meilläkin äärioikeisto haluaa sammuttaa valon. #demokratia #oikeusvaltio
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Mutta muuten olen sitä mieltä, että ...
.. kyl ton Aleksin metorolgina pitäisi sanoissaan olla paljon tarkempi.
Aurinkohan paistaa, kyllä muttei ehkä näy.
Joulukuu on auringon sekä valon kannalta kovin mielenkiintoista aikaa, pohjoinen pallonpuolisko kurkottaa ulospäin auringosta, siksi päivät ovat lyhkäisiä ja valon suunta tulokulma kovin matala
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The Celtic Otherworld may not be unique. Its striking similarities to Greek mythology suggest ancient cultures shared ideas, reshaping paradise myths across civilizations.
#Mythology #AncientMystery #Celtic #GreekMyths #HiddenHistory
Read more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/articles/avalon-apples