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Stuck in the Filter: February 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
February comes down the pipe about two or three months after February. A perfectly normal thing to experience here at AMG HQ, this Filter’s tardiness is brought to you in part by my body getting stuck in one of the tighter conduits that lines the concrete interior of this confounded bunker. My minions are elsewhere, trudging through similar environs, and report their findings to me via eldritch beast telepathy. Since I obviously don’t speak eldritch tongue, I have to use my Codex of Enspongification to decipher these antediluvian transmissions. I’m sure you can imagine, that takes no small measure of time, especially when you’re stuck in this galvanized prison of rusting sheetmetal.
Until my ungrateful minions can find me and rescue me—something I don’t expect to happen anytime soon considering I give them no workers benefits or pay of any kind—you’ll have to make do with the selections of rough-hewn and sharp, but valuable, ore provided below. OBSERVE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Kenstrosity’s Crusty Grab
Metaphobic // Deranged Excruciations [February 28th, 2025 – Everlasting Spew Records]
When Atlantan death metal quintet Metaphobic caught my attention with the megalithic riffs opening their debut LP Deranged Excruciations, I thought the stank face it brought out of me might be permanent. Nothing new and nothing sophisticated awaits here. Just brutalizing riffs delivered in a relentless sequence of destruction. Lead guitars squeal and scrape against the swampy ground underfoot, leaving a noxious slime trail behind “Mental Deconstruction” and “Execration” that tastes of Tomb Mold, Incantation, and Demilich to varying degrees. Guttural utterances and cacophonic—but accessibly structured—riffs offer the same infernal ferocity of the olden ways. However, in a similar manner to Noxis, their application here feels modern and fresh-ish (“Execration,” “Veiled Horizons,” “Hypnosis Engram”). Not nearly as nuanced as that comparison might suggest, Metaphobic are more than satisfied to use their brutish death metal as a cudgel for blunt force trauma. Nods to death doom in long-form wanderings like “Disciples of Vengeance” and “Insatiable Abyss” provide an appreciable variation in pace, though it doesn’t always work in Metaphobic’s favor. While those songs tend to meander too long on ideas unfit to support such mass for so long, livid outbursts like “Veiled Horizons” and “Reconstituted Grey Matter” more than make up for it. In short Deranged Excruciations commands my attention enough to earn my recommendation here, and my attention going forward.
Tyme’s Missing Minutes
Caustic Phlegm // Purulent Apocalypse [February 28, 2025 – Hells Headbangers]
Caustic Phlegm is the filth project helmed solely by Chestcrush main man Evan Vasilakos, who joyously employed his HM-2 and RAT pedals to create the utter disgustingness that is Purulent Apocalypse. A far cry from the angsty, I’d-rather-see-humanity-dead blackened death metal of his main outfit, Caustic Phlegm is a throwback to the days when Carnage walked the streets of Sweden and Impetigo was melting faces and killing brain cells. Purulent Apocalypse is a platter of pestiferous riffs (“Fouled, Infected & Infested,” “Soft Bones,” “Blister Bliss”), so many it’s like sitting on a death metal toilet puking and shitting riffs ad nauseam. Evan’s drum work, replete with the occasional but very satisfying St. Anger snare tone, drives the mindless fun forward, and the 80’s zombie giallo synth work would have Lucio Fulci himself clawing out of his grave to eat your face. Vasilakos’ vocals are a fine litany of belches, squelches, and gurgles that sound like a colony of maggots cleaning the putrid flesh from a corpulent corpse. Caustic Phlegm is the foul stench of death and will have you reaching for the soap and steel wool as you try to rid yourself of the Purulent Apocalypse infection.
Vermilia // Karsikko [February 14, 2025 – Self Release]
Had the incomparable Darkher not released The Buried Storm in 2022, Vermilia‘s Ruska would have garnered my top spot that year, which put her on my radar for the first time. When I saw Vermilia‘s follow-up, Karsikko had dropped in February—sadly we didn’t receive a promo—I jumped at the chance to filter it. While Karsikko is a bit more straightforward than Ruska, it’s full of liltingly beautiful pianos (“Karsikko”) that give way to icy black metal riffs (“Kansojen Kaipuu”) and gorgeously rendered folk metal melodies (“Koti,” “Veresi”). Comparisons with Myrkur and Suldusk would be appropriate, but Vermilia continues to carve out her own space in the folk black metal scene, marrying beatific melody with beastly aggression. Performing all of the music on Karsikko, as is her one-woman calling card, renders her finished products even more impressive. The highlight has always been the voice, though, as Vermilia deftly transitions between angelic cleans (“Suruhymni”) and frosty rasps (“Vakat”), completing a circle that makes each of her releases a joy to listen to. It’s confounding that another of Vermilia‘s albums is an independent release, which might be artistically intentional or the result of bone-headed label execs. Either way, don’t miss out on Karsikko, as Vermilia shouldn’t stay unsigned for long.
Killjoy’s Drowsy Discovery
Noctambulist // Noctambulist II: De Droom [February 7th, 2025 – These Hands Melt]
Although I love blackgaze, I must admit that it can be challenging to find artists who stand out in the genre, whether through quality songwriting or unexpected twists. It turns out that the Dutch band Noctambulist1 offers both. Noctambulist II: De Droom is a fun and fresh blend of Deafheaven-adjacent blackgaze with a Molotov cocktail of post-punk energy. The power chord-driven guitar lines prove to be an unexpectedly compatible fuel source to propel the shimmering, gazey tremolos and blackened rasps to new heights. Many songs (particularly “Aderlater” and “Lichteter”) start with neat intro melodies that catch the listener’s attention, then build and ride that momentum throughout the remainder. A faint sense of loss—stemming from the achingly relatable theme of homeownership drifting further out of many people’s reach—pervades the record, but there is also an infectious cheerfulness. Despite their name, Noctambulist are hardly sleepwalking as they tread along a well-worn genre.
Thus Spoke’s Disregarded Diamonds
Sacred Noose // Vanishing Spires [February 2nd, 2025 – Breath Sun Bone Blood]
My experience with Irish extreme metal has been that it is all incredibly dark, twisted, and supremely, gorgeously dissonant.2 Belfast3 duo Sacred Noose make absolutely no exception to this rule. Vanishing Spires’ ruthlessly brief 31 minutes are defined by stomach-tightening twisted blackened death designed to cut to the heart of misery and fear. The lurching sensation brought about by rapid tremolo descents and sudden accelerations of ever more dissonant chords, impenetrable drums, and pitch-shifting feedback is nauseating (“Entranced by Concrete Lathe,” “True Emancipation”). The pure horror of the inhuman, high-pitched shrieks answering the already fearsome bellows is anxiety-inducing (“”Black Tempests of Promise,” “Moribund”). The near-constant buzzing of noise is oppressive (“Terminal Prologue,” “True Emancipation”); the creeping, malevolent scales unnerving. And Sacred Noose play with their victim, luring them into a trap of deceptively familiar cavern-core (“Sacred Noose”) before throwing a hood over their head and yanking them backwards into more horrifying mania; or perhaps they’ll start with the assault (“True Emancipation”). This more ‘straightforward’ edge to Sacred Noose is most akin to a faster Sparagmos, while their dominant, demonic personality I can compare most faithfully to Thantifaxath, if Thantifaxath were more death-metal-inclined. Vanishing Spires is the first time since the latter’s 2023 Hive Mind Narcosis that a record has genuinely made me feel afraid.
Crown of Madness // Memories Fragmented [February 28th, 2025 – Transcending Obscurity Records]
Life unfortunately got in the way of me giving this a proper review, but Crown of Madness deserve better than to slip by unmentioned. Memories Fragmented is the duo’s debut, but Crown of Madness is one of several projects both are already in.4. The ominous yet colourful sci-fi/fantasy cover art and spiky logo scream ‘tech-death’ and that is indeed what Crown of Madness deliver. At base, there is some damn fine technical death metal here that’s impressive and acrobatic (), but snappy, not outstaying its welcome—the entire record barely stretches beyond 35 minutes. But there is more to Memories Fragmented, and as a result, it is memorable.5 A drawl to certain refrains (), the tendency to gently sway to a slow, near-pensiveness (), the atmospheric hanging of some tremolos over a warm, dense bass (). There is depth. And it reminded me quite starkly of early Ulcerate. In this vein, the record leans towards the more meandering side of the subgenre, gripping not with hooky riffs and heart-pumping tempos, but an intricate kind of intensity. Memories Fragmented arguably goes too far in the indistinct direction, and as a result, loses immediacy. But the churning, introspective compositions presage the potential for true brilliance on future releases.
Vacuous // In His Blood [February 28th, 2025 – Relapse Records]
Full of youthful vigour, London’s Vacuous demonstrate their willing ability to evolve with their sophomore, In His Blood. While debut Dreams of Dysphoria, which I covered back in 2022, played more or less by the disso-death book, here they are already experimenting. Strange, almost post-metal atmosphere now haunts the boundaries (“Hunger,” “Public Humiliation,” “No Longer Human”), combining brilliantly with the band’s already cavernous death metal sound, and amplifying its fearsomeness. Crowning example of this is the gem Vacuous save for the record’s final act in closer “No Longer Human.” In His Blood also sees them flirt with a punkier energy that borrows more than a little bit of malice from the blackened handbook (“In His Blood,” “Flesh Parade”), backed up by d-beats, and contrasting well with their now less frequent crawls. At its most explosive, In His Blood feels downright unhinged, in the best way (“Stress Positions,” “Immersion”), but it never feels messy, and there’s potential in here for Vacuous to evolve into yet another, incredibly potent form of unique, modern hybrid extreme metal. I wish there were more than 30 minutes of this.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Bottom o’ the Barrel Boons
Pissgrave // Malignant Worthlessness [February 21st, 2025 – Profound Lore Records]
Though it may appear, at a glance, that I have gold-colored glasses for bands of rank and urological reference, I’d call it more of a chance happening that such miscreant acts have created intriguing works. And, truthfully, PISSGRAVE has leaned closer to filth first, function second with the war-leaning crackle (and brazenly offensive cover art) that relegates their lineage to corners of listening ears who need therapy with a high tolerance for guts and grime. Malignant Worthlessness, of course, is not accessible by any means, though, despite these Philly boys packing these nine ode to a failed society in a package that doesn’t cause immediate squirm. But with grooves trapped in an endless skronk and blast, and vocals shifted and layered to reflect the sound of a swarm of Daffy Ducks with a serious disdain for life, PISSGRAVE still embodies an endless swirl of unleashed aggression rendered in riffed and regurgitated form. Malignant Worthlessness lives on the dry and crispy side with most of its tones, which allows copious hits of quick delay and reverb on OUGHs and EEEEEEEUGHs to land with an extra psychedelic knocking when you least expect it. Little slows down the pain train here, with tracks like “Heaping Pile of Electrified Gore” and “Internment Orgy” taking brief detours into chunky guitar builds that feel within grasp of normalcy just before dropping back into an intensified flaying. Elsewhere, a martial urgency that reminds of Paracletus-era Deathspell Omega or the industrial-tinged pummel of Concrete Winds, stirs a twitching movement response, all while retaining a grinding death snarl and chromatic fury, leading its fused-by-hatred structures toward an explosive and fuming conclusion. Humanity has no place in the PISSGRAVE environs, and Malignant Worthlessness, in its celebration of a hostile world, does everything it can to reinforce that.
終末回路 // 終端から引き剥がす [February 20th, 2025 – Self Release]
For things that wander around the math rock world, nailing a vibe remains essential to enjoyment. It’s all too easy in this day and edge to fall into the comfortable trap of ambient tapping and comfortable posty swirls to pleasant crescendos that renders many modern acts to high brow background music (even including bands I like, to a degree, like Covet or Jizue). New Japanese act 終末回路,6 however, chooses to imbue their nimble and tricky instrumental center with the searing emotion and urgency of a noisy post-hardcore, with searing vocal inclusions adding a gravitas to passages that would otherwise threaten to flutter away in glee (“誤殖,” “知らねぇよ”). On one end, 終末回路 delivers a bright playfulness that swings with the pedal power and psychedelia of a young Tera Melos. Yet, weighted with a punk urgency and rawer Japanese assembly of tones, which give a physical clang to tight kit heads and blazing squeal to shrill loops and feedback, 終末回路 finds a constant momentum in their shorter form excursion that makes my lack of understanding of its introspective lyrics a non-issue. Packing plaintive piano melodies (“ご自由に “), speaker blowing synth cranking (“dgdf++be”), and prog-tinged guitar flutters (“知らねぇよ”) into one listening session isn’t easy, but with this debut outing of 終端から引き剥がす,7 終末回路 makes it seem as if they’ve been honing the craft for years.
Saunders’ Salacious Skeeves
Möuth // Gobal Warning [February 14th, 2025 – Self Release)
Veteran rockers The Hellacopters returned with a typically rollicking, fun album in February. Elsewhere, dropping with little fanfare, fellow Swedes and unsung power trio Möuth emerged with an intriguing debut rock platter, entitled Global Warning. Featuring more than meets the eye and flashing a dynamic rock sound, Möuth embrace both retro and modern influences, whipped into an infectious concoction of styles, ranging from Sabbathian lurches, doomy grooves, stoner vibes, and elements of psych, punk and hard rock. For the most part it works a treat, creating a welcome change of pace. Fuzzy, upbeat rockers (“Dirt,” “Appetite”) snugly reside amongst moody, psych-bending numbers (“Alike,” “Mantra”), and heavier doom-laden rock, such as powerful opener “Holy Ground,” and brooding, emotive album centerpiece, “Sheep.” Vocally, the passionate, Ozzy-esque croons hit the spot, matching up well to the band’s multi-pronged rock flavors. Compact and infectious, varied in delivery and featuring enough tasty rhythms, fuzzy melodies and rock punch to satisfy, Global Warning marks an intriguing starting point for these Swedish rockers.
Chaos Inception // Vengeance Evangel [February 21st, 2025 – Lavadome Productions]
Emerging from a deep slumber in the depths of the underground, Alabama’s long dormant death metal crew Chaos Inception returned with their first album since 2012’s The Abrogation. Third album Vengeance Evangel went under the radar, festering unclaimed in the promo sump. After the fact, the album’s crushing, controlled chaos smacked me upside the skull with a violent modern interpretation of the classic Floridian death metal sound, with the musty hues of Tucker-era Morbid Angel most prevalent. This is blast-riddled, relentless stuff, played expertly by the trio of Matt Barnes (guitars), Gray White (vocals) and session drummer Kevin Paradis (ex-Benighted). Incredibly dense, atmospheric, and blazingly fast, Vengeance Evangel is a brutal, knotty, technical hammering, punctuated by sick, wildly inventive soloing. While not traditionally catchy, Vengeance Evangel is the kind of intense, layered death metal album that gets under the skin, grafting a deeper impression across repeated listens. The insane tempo shifts, jigsaw arrangements, and wickedly deranged axework delivers big time. From the violent, intricate throes of opener “Artillery of Humwawa,” and disturbed soundscapes of “La Niebla en el Cementerio Etrusco,” through to the brutish grooves of ‘Thymos Beast,” and exotic, tech death shards of “Empire of Prevarication,” Vengeance Evangel does not neatly fit into any one subgenre category but ticks many boxes to cast a wide appeal to death fans of varied equations.
Steel Druhm’s Viscous Biscuits
Ereb Altor // Hälsingemörker [ February 7th, 2025 – Hammerheart Records]
Steel loves his epic metal. I was raised on the stirring odes to swordsmanship and ungovernable back hair from Manowar and Cirth Ungol, and in time, I took a place at the great table in Wotan’s Golden Halls to appreciate the Viking metal exploits of Bathory and later adherents like Falkenbach and Moonsorrow. Sweden’s Ereb Altor got in the game late with their epic By Honour debut in 2008, boasting a very Bathory-esque sound and emotional tapestry that felt larger-than-life and stirred the loins to begird themselves. 10th album Hälsingemörker is a glorious return to those halls of heroes and bravery. This is the large-scale songcraft first heard on Bathory albums like Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods, and it’s most welcome to these ape ears. Cuts like “Valkyrian Fate” are exactly the kind of sweeping, epic numbers the band’s excelled at over the years. It takes the core sound of Viking era Bathory and builds outward to craft bombastic and heroic compositions that feel HUUUGE. It’s the kind of metal song that embiggens the soul and makes you want to take on a marauding horde by your lonesome and usurp all their battle booty. On “Hälsingemörker,” you get a fat dose of Moonsorrow worship, and elsewhere, Primordial is strongly referenced to very good effect. Hälsingemörker is easily the best Ereb Altor album in a while and the most in line with their beloved early sound. Strap on the sword and get after it!
#AmericanMetal #Arboreal #Benighted #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #Blackgaze #BreathSunBoneBlood #Carnage #CausticPhlegm #ChaosInception #Chestcrush #ConcreteWinds #Coscradh #Covet #CrownOfMadness #Darkher #Deafheaven #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DeathspellOmega #Demilich #DerangedExcruciations #DissonantDeathMetal #DustAge #EmbodimentOfDeath #ErebAltor #EverlastingSpewRecords #FolkMetal #GlobalWarning #Hälsingemörker #HellsHeadbangers #Impetigo #InHisBlood #Incantation #IrishMetal #JapaneseMetal #jizue #Karsikko #LavadomeProductions #MalignantWorthlessness #MathRock #MelodicBlackMetal #MemoriesFragmented #Metaphobic #MorbidAngel #Möuth #Myserion #Noctambulist #NoctambulistIIDeDroom #Noxis #OzzyOsbourne #Pissgrave #PostMetal #postPunk #ProfoundLoreRecords #PurulentApocalypse #RelapseRecords #Rock #SacredNoose #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #SermonOfFlames #Sparagmos #SwedishMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TerZiele #TeraMelos #Thantifaxath #TheHelicopters #TheseHandsMelt #TombMold #TranscendingObscurityRecords #UKMetal #Ulcerate #Vacuous #VanishingSpires #VengeanceEvangel #Vermilia #VultureSVengeance #終末回路 #終端から引き剥がす
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Stuck in the Filter: March 2024’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
While it was cold and gloomy just a couple weeks before writing, now it’s blisteringly hot and humid. Such is the transition from February to April in the land of Ken. It’s May now, of course, so we are once again traveling back in time to when our Filter was brimming with scabs and scaled plucked from the Hides of March. As is my prerogative, I sent my minions, which are legion, into the thick of it to retrieve those lost gems which would otherwise be damned for musty eternity.
So, without further ado, my I interest you in our March Filter wares? The answer is always yes (or else)!
Kenstrosity’s Singular Stipend
Saturday Night Satan // All Things Black [March 15th, 2024 – Self-Released]
Obviously, I was bound to spin this record. A kitty on the cover? Sold. That’s literally all I needed to know I was gonna dig Greek occult heavy metal duo Saturday Night Satan. Lo and behold, their debut full-length All Things Black RAWKS. The first five songs, from rollicking opener “5 AM” to “Lurking in the Shadows,” constitute perhaps the best and most addicting introduction to a new band that I’ve heard in ages. Jim Kotsis’ (Black Soul Horde) swaggering riffs, buttery-smooth bass, and infectious rhythms consistently motivate this record through high-octane, bar-ready romps and doom-y crawls with equal liveliness, proving himself to be a versatile and exciting musician. Meanwhile, Kate Soulthorn croons and belts her way across this record with a venomous, but brassy and clear delivery oozing with charisma (“Rule With Fire,” “Lurking in the Shadows,” “Witches’ Dance”). While the record loses just a touch of momentum in the middle (“By the River, Crown of Arrogance”), there are no bad tracks to be found. Furthermore, repeat spins yield even greater enjoyment, as this record has only grown on me since my first spin and I don’t expect that trend to taper anytime soon.
Tales From the Garden
Molten // Malicide [March 6th, 2024 – Transylvanian Recordings]
Sometimes a band does one thing so well you don’t really need anything else to be great. Molten doesn’t stand out because of its vocals, a serviceable but somewhat limited growl. The drums are likewise decent, but nothing to cream your pants over. But the riffs! If that hurly burly bouncing up the stairs riff of “Pathogenesis” doesn’t put your facehole in a grin, it may be time to call it quits on death metal. Same for the insane, blistering solo that punctuates “Scorched” or the absolute neck-snapping title track. The latter is also the best place to spot the skillful bass parts that sneakily elevate the guitars to sound as good as they do. With a bunch of short ‘n snappy tracks showcasing Molten’s chops, a sudden 9-and-a-half-minute thrash epic sounds like a disaster in waiting, but the riffs, the solos and the serpentine bass are all high enough quality that I don’t want the San Fran boys to stop firing their big hooky shit at my face anyway. Malicide is a humble package, utterly crammed with infectious fun and riffy goodness, so get on that shit or get off the death metal pot.
Saunders’ Smoldering Cinders
BRAT // Social Grace [March 15th, 2024 – Prosthetic Records]
Look beyond their questionable moniker and self-proclaimed ‘Bimboviolence’ tag, and NOLA up-and-comers BRAT impresses on their debut LP, Social Grace. Listeners would be foolish to pass over this band as some sort of gimmicky modern metal act, the rugged, ugly musical form BRAT composes packs a serious punch. Social Grace present a thuggish, volatile concoction where the crossroads of grind, death and powerviolence meet. Factor in sludgy hues and seedy NOLA tones adding layers of extra grime and grit to short, sharp, stabbing cuts that pull no punches. The blasty, belligerent throes of old school grind meets sludge stomp of “Hesitation Wound” showcases BRAT’s deft ability to shift gears and compliment rabid blasting and grindy chaos, with infectious riffs and brawling grooves. Social Grace features similarly raw examples of gnarly, unbridled menace. Amped aggression, throaty vocals and speedy surges are complemented by fun, headbanging riffs and toughened grooves, lending the album a catchy edge and solid replay value reflected on gems such as the rifftastic title track, contrasting charms of “Truncheon,” and feedback-drenched grind-punk fury of “Human Offense.”
Suicidal Angels // Profane Prayer [March 1st, 2024 – Nuclear Blast]
Unsung Greek institution Suicidal Angels have pumped out material since the early aughts, crafting Euro-flavored thrash with a heavy dose of American influence, including Exodus and Slayer. Throw in an occasional atmospheric, melodeath twist, and you are left with a dependably solid batch of meat and potatoes goodness. Although rarely blowing minds, Suicidal Angels’ retro thrash platters, such as Dead Again and Bloodbath, represent potent examples of the band’s trusty formula. Following a five-year recording gap, Suicidal Angels return with their eighth LP, Profane Prayer. Profane Prayer follows a familiar trajectory, yet sounds fresh, full of energy and armed with fiery, aggressive riffage. These dudes are a tight unit, and the explosive speediness and exuberant performances shine alongside killer old school riffage, slashing solos, and technical embellishments. Ferociously infectious thrashers like “When the Lions Die,” “Purified by Fire,” “Crypts of Madness” and ‘Virtues of Destruction” sound more inspired than I’ve heard from the band in some time. Profane Prayer has moments of bloat, but the pros outweigh the cons, resulting in a largely enjoyable and explosive thrash platter. Props to the band for stretching their wings on the epic, progressively leaning journey of “Deathstalker,” and similarly adventurous closer “The Fire Paths of Fate,” showing Suicidal Angels still have some tricks up their sleeves.
Thus Spoke’s Forgotten Findings
Carrion Vael // Cannibals Anonymous [March 29th, 2024 – Unique Leader Records]
I was introduced to Carrion Vael by Dr. Grier’s review of their 2022 LP Abhorrent Obsessions where he deemed it “a beast of a record,” and I wholeheartedly concurred. Fortunately for all of us lovers of the Indiana melodeath/deathcore/generally heavy bunch, Cannibals Anonymous largely picks up where the previous one left off. It’s vicious, and satisfyingly slick, the rapidly descending/ascending scales, smooth, fast transitions between always-driving-forward tempos, and cutthroat snarls once again betraying a Black Dahlia Murder influence, but with a bit more of a deathcore angle. The riffy kind of deathcore. Because yeah, this thing has riffs (see especially ” “Love Zombie,” “Discount Meats,” and “Pins and Needles”)—as well as gore—spilling out of its every orifice, and they’re great. Also surprisingly fun are the further extended use of cleans now appearing on most of the album’s tracks, which only serve to make them more catchy, compelling, and fun, whether they’re shouty and atonal (“Discount Meats”), or genuinely mellifluous (“Savage Messiah,” “Pins and Needles,” “Augusta’s Dead”); and they’re more often the latter. Carrion Vael also lean a little further into the urgent-minor melodic refrain territory that made Abhorrent Obsessions so sticky, with “Savage Messiah,” “Pins and Needles,” and “Everything/Nothing” standing out. This isn’t changing the scene, but goddamn it if you won’t have a fucking fantastic time chucking some heavy weights around or generally vibing with a massive grin on your face whilst listening to it. Go on, you know you want to.
Dear Hollow’s Deafening Debris
Givre // Le Cloître [March 29th, 2024 – Eisenwald]
It’s not often that a black metal band willingly discusses Christianity in a somewhat endearing light, so the Quebecois Givre is a bit of a conundrum. However, in the most brutal fashion possible, this trio discusses examples of female saints and each respective trail of pain left behind in the pursuit of holiness. Given the subject matter, you can imagine the cross that is borne across its forty-two-minute runtime. Each track carries with it a mood and style of its own, united as a whole through the atoning power of agony, as all characters throughout have suffered greatly for the sake of Christ. That being said, this is regardless a hopeful album, and in many ways, La Cloître feels like a meditation, fluid movements whose organicity revolves around gentle plucking. While tracks like opener “Marthe Robin (1902-1981)” and “Sainte Thérèse d’Avila (1515-1582)” embrace this aesthetic of prayerful lamentation, it does not stop the winding riff punishment of “Louise du Néant (1639-1694)” from scorching the surrounding soil, or the mysterious, nearly Southern rock-oriented, “Sainte Hildegarde de Bingen (1098-1179)” and desperate start-stop riffs of “Sainte Marguerite de Cortone (1247-1297)” from commanding otherworldly planes. While the stylistic choices differ and may be jarring to listeners, it is cemented by its theme as it pursues God down lesser-trodden trails of atonement through flagellation.
Profane Burial // My Plateau [March 1st, 2024 – Crime Records]
The Norwegian black metallers channel nearly everything they can get their grimy claws onto in My Plateau. Profane Burial professes to be “cinematic black metal,” and that is an accurate description in its boundary-pushing of atmospheric and symphonic texture: imagine if Midnight Odyssey and Septicflesh met at a midnight showing of The Exorcist. Besides its more contemplative moments, you’ll find that My Plateau is a deceptively mammoth listen, as chugging guitars and colossal drums collide with grim symphonics and haunting ambiance. The opening title track, “Fragments of Dirge,” and “Disambiguate Eradication” are aptly bombastic kabooms in mad waltzes of demonic proportions layered with rich symphonic textures, while the blasts colliding with chugs and piano trills in “Moribund” and “Righteous Indoctrination” add to the Wreche-on-crack vibe, while the triumphant battle cry in closer “Horror Code” is equal parts macabre and pummeling. For being inspired by horror scores, Profane Burial is scatterbrained and wonky, but it doesn’t stop My Plateau from embracing the bombast in a fun-as-hell symphonic black metal foray touched by madness.
#2024 #AllThingsBlack #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSoulHorde #BRAT #CanadianMetal #CannibalsAnonymous #CarrionVael #CrimeRecords #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Doom #Eisenwald #Exodus #Givre #GreekMetal #Grindcore #HeavyMetal #LeCloître #Malicide #Mar24 #MelodicDeathMetal #MidnightOdyssey #Molten #MyPlateau #NorwegianMetal #NuclearBlastRecords #OccultMetal #OccultRock #Powerviolence #ProfaneBurial #ProfanePrayer #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews #SaturdayNightSatan #SelfRelease #SepticFlesh #SepticFlesh #Slayer #SocialGrace #StuckInTheFilter #SuicidalAngels #SymphonicBlackMetal #TheBlackDahliaMurder #ThrashMetal #TransylvanianRecords #UniqueLeaderRecords #Wreche
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Stuck in the Filter: March 2024’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
While it was cold and gloomy just a couple weeks before writing, now it’s blisteringly hot and humid. Such is the transition from February to April in the land of Ken. It’s May now, of course, so we are once again traveling back in time to when our Filter was brimming with scabs and scaled plucked from the Hides of March. As is my prerogative, I sent my minions, which are legion, into the thick of it to retrieve those lost gems which would otherwise be damned for musty eternity.
So, without further ado, my I interest you in our March Filter wares? The answer is always yes (or else)!
Kenstrosity’s Singular Stipend
Saturday Night Satan // All Things Black [March 15th, 2024 – Self-Released]
Obviously, I was bound to spin this record. A kitty on the cover? Sold. That’s literally all I needed to know I was gonna dig Greek occult heavy metal duo Saturday Night Satan. Lo and behold, their debut full-length All Things Black RAWKS. The first five songs, from rollicking opener “5 AM” to “Lurking in the Shadows,” constitute perhaps the best and most addicting introduction to a new band that I’ve heard in ages. Jim Kotsis’ (Black Soul Horde) swaggering riffs, buttery-smooth bass, and infectious rhythms consistently motivate this record through high-octane, bar-ready romps and doom-y crawls with equal liveliness, proving himself to be a versatile and exciting musician. Meanwhile, Kate Soulthorn croons and belts her way across this record with a venomous, but brassy and clear delivery oozing with charisma (“Rule With Fire,” “Lurking in the Shadows,” “Witches’ Dance”). While the record loses just a touch of momentum in the middle (“By the River, Crown of Arrogance”), there are no bad tracks to be found. Furthermore, repeat spins yield even greater enjoyment, as this record has only grown on me since my first spin and I don’t expect that trend to taper anytime soon.
Tales From the Garden
Molten // Malicide [March 6th, 2024 – Transylvanian Recordings]
Sometimes a band does one thing so well you don’t really need anything else to be great. Molten doesn’t stand out because of its vocals, a serviceable but somewhat limited growl. The drums are likewise decent, but nothing to cream your pants over. But the riffs! If that hurly burly bouncing up the stairs riff of “Pathogenesis” doesn’t put your facehole in a grin, it may be time to call it quits on death metal. Same for the insane, blistering solo that punctuates “Scorched” or the absolute neck-snapping title track. The latter is also the best place to spot the skillful bass parts that sneakily elevate the guitars to sound as good as they do. With a bunch of short ‘n snappy tracks showcasing Molten’s chops, a sudden 9-and-a-half-minute thrash epic sounds like a disaster in waiting, but the riffs, the solos and the serpentine bass are all high enough quality that I don’t want the San Fran boys to stop firing their big hooky shit at my face anyway. Malicide is a humble package, utterly crammed with infectious fun and riffy goodness, so get on that shit or get off the death metal pot.
Saunders’ Smoldering Cinders
BRAT // Social Grace [March 15th, 2024 – Prosthetic Records]
Look beyond their questionable moniker and self-proclaimed ‘Bimboviolence’ tag, and NOLA up-and-comers BRAT impresses on their debut LP, Social Grace. Listeners would be foolish to pass over this band as some sort of gimmicky modern metal act, the rugged, ugly musical form BRAT composes packs a serious punch. Social Grace present a thuggish, volatile concoction where the crossroads of grind, death and powerviolence meet. Factor in sludgy hues and seedy NOLA tones adding layers of extra grime and grit to short, sharp, stabbing cuts that pull no punches. The blasty, belligerent throes of old school grind meets sludge stomp of “Hesitation Wound” showcases BRAT’s deft ability to shift gears and compliment rabid blasting and grindy chaos, with infectious riffs and brawling grooves. Social Grace features similarly raw examples of gnarly, unbridled menace. Amped aggression, throaty vocals and speedy surges are complemented by fun, headbanging riffs and toughened grooves, lending the album a catchy edge and solid replay value reflected on gems such as the rifftastic title track, contrasting charms of “Truncheon,” and feedback-drenched grind-punk fury of “Human Offense.”
Suicidal Angels // Profane Prayer [March 1st, 2024 – Nuclear Blast]
Unsung Greek institution Suicidal Angels have pumped out material since the early aughts, crafting Euro-flavored thrash with a heavy dose of American influence, including Exodus and Slayer. Throw in an occasional atmospheric, melodeath twist, and you are left with a dependably solid batch of meat and potatoes goodness. Although rarely blowing minds, Suicidal Angels’ retro thrash platters, such as Dead Again and Bloodbath, represent potent examples of the band’s trusty formula. Following a five-year recording gap, Suicidal Angels return with their eighth LP, Profane Prayer. Profane Prayer follows a familiar trajectory, yet sounds fresh, full of energy and armed with fiery, aggressive riffage. These dudes are a tight unit, and the explosive speediness and exuberant performances shine alongside killer old school riffage, slashing solos, and technical embellishments. Ferociously infectious thrashers like “When the Lions Die,” “Purified by Fire,” “Crypts of Madness” and ‘Virtues of Destruction” sound more inspired than I’ve heard from the band in some time. Profane Prayer has moments of bloat, but the pros outweigh the cons, resulting in a largely enjoyable and explosive thrash platter. Props to the band for stretching their wings on the epic, progressively leaning journey of “Deathstalker,” and similarly adventurous closer “The Fire Paths of Fate,” showing Suicidal Angels still have some tricks up their sleeves.
Thus Spoke’s Forgotten Findings
Carrion Vael // Cannibals Anonymous [March 29th, 2024 – Unique Leader Records]
I was introduced to Carrion Vael by Dr. Grier’s review of their 2022 LP Abhorrent Obsessions where he deemed it “a beast of a record,” and I wholeheartedly concurred. Fortunately for all of us lovers of the Indiana melodeath/deathcore/generally heavy bunch, Cannibals Anonymous largely picks up where the previous one left off. It’s vicious, and satisfyingly slick, the rapidly descending/ascending scales, smooth, fast transitions between always-driving-forward tempos, and cutthroat snarls once again betraying a Black Dahlia Murder influence, but with a bit more of a deathcore angle. The riffy kind of deathcore. Because yeah, this thing has riffs (see especially ” “Love Zombie,” “Discount Meats,” and “Pins and Needles”)—as well as gore—spilling out of its every orifice, and they’re great. Also surprisingly fun are the further extended use of cleans now appearing on most of the album’s tracks, which only serve to make them more catchy, compelling, and fun, whether they’re shouty and atonal (“Discount Meats”), or genuinely mellifluous (“Savage Messiah,” “Pins and Needles,” “Augusta’s Dead”); and they’re more often the latter. Carrion Vael also lean a little further into the urgent-minor melodic refrain territory that made Abhorrent Obsessions so sticky, with “Savage Messiah,” “Pins and Needles,” and “Everything/Nothing” standing out. This isn’t changing the scene, but goddamn it if you won’t have a fucking fantastic time chucking some heavy weights around or generally vibing with a massive grin on your face whilst listening to it. Go on, you know you want to.
Dear Hollow’s Deafening Debris
Givre // Le Cloître [March 29th, 2024 – Eisenwald]
It’s not often that a black metal band willingly discusses Christianity in a somewhat endearing light, so the Quebecois Givre is a bit of a conundrum. However, in the most brutal fashion possible, this trio discusses examples of female saints and each respective trail of pain left behind in the pursuit of holiness. Given the subject matter, you can imagine the cross that is borne across its forty-two-minute runtime. Each track carries with it a mood and style of its own, united as a whole through the atoning power of agony, as all characters throughout have suffered greatly for the sake of Christ. That being said, this is regardless a hopeful album, and in many ways, La Cloître feels like a meditation, fluid movements whose organicity revolves around gentle plucking. While tracks like opener “Marthe Robin (1902-1981)” and “Sainte Thérèse d’Avila (1515-1582)” embrace this aesthetic of prayerful lamentation, it does not stop the winding riff punishment of “Louise du Néant (1639-1694)” from scorching the surrounding soil, or the mysterious, nearly Southern rock-oriented, “Sainte Hildegarde de Bingen (1098-1179)” and desperate start-stop riffs of “Sainte Marguerite de Cortone (1247-1297)” from commanding otherworldly planes. While the stylistic choices differ and may be jarring to listeners, it is cemented by its theme as it pursues God down lesser-trodden trails of atonement through flagellation.
Profane Burial // My Plateau [March 1st, 2024 – Crime Records]
The Norwegian black metallers channel nearly everything they can get their grimy claws onto in My Plateau. Profane Burial professes to be “cinematic black metal,” and that is an accurate description in its boundary-pushing of atmospheric and symphonic texture: imagine if Midnight Odyssey and Septicflesh met at a midnight showing of The Exorcist. Besides its more contemplative moments, you’ll find that My Plateau is a deceptively mammoth listen, as chugging guitars and colossal drums collide with grim symphonics and haunting ambiance. The opening title track, “Fragments of Dirge,” and “Disambiguate Eradication” are aptly bombastic kabooms in mad waltzes of demonic proportions layered with rich symphonic textures, while the blasts colliding with chugs and piano trills in “Moribund” and “Righteous Indoctrination” add to the Wreche-on-crack vibe, while the triumphant battle cry in closer “Horror Code” is equal parts macabre and pummeling. For being inspired by horror scores, Profane Burial is scatterbrained and wonky, but it doesn’t stop My Plateau from embracing the bombast in a fun-as-hell symphonic black metal foray touched by madness.
#2024 #AllThingsBlack #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSoulHorde #BRAT #CanadianMetal #CannibalsAnonymous #CarrionVael #CrimeRecords #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Doom #Eisenwald #Exodus #Givre #GreekMetal #Grindcore #HeavyMetal #LeCloître #Malicide #Mar24 #MelodicDeathMetal #MidnightOdyssey #Molten #MyPlateau #NorwegianMetal #NuclearBlastRecords #OccultMetal #OccultRock #Powerviolence #ProfaneBurial #ProfanePrayer #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews #SaturdayNightSatan #SelfRelease #SepticFlesh #SepticFlesh #Slayer #SocialGrace #StuckInTheFilter #SuicidalAngels #SymphonicBlackMetal #TheBlackDahliaMurder #ThrashMetal #TransylvanianRecords #UniqueLeaderRecords #Wreche
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Stuck in the Filter: March 2024’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
While it was cold and gloomy just a couple weeks before writing, now it’s blisteringly hot and humid. Such is the transition from February to April in the land of Ken. It’s May now, of course, so we are once again traveling back in time to when our Filter was brimming with scabs and scaled plucked from the Hides of March. As is my prerogative, I sent my minions, which are legion, into the thick of it to retrieve those lost gems which would otherwise be damned for musty eternity.
So, without further ado, my I interest you in our March Filter wares? The answer is always yes (or else)!
Kenstrosity’s Singular Stipend
Saturday Night Satan // All Things Black [March 15th, 2024 – Self-Released]
Obviously, I was bound to spin this record. A kitty on the cover? Sold. That’s literally all I needed to know I was gonna dig Greek occult heavy metal duo Saturday Night Satan. Lo and behold, their debut full-length All Things Black RAWKS. The first five songs, from rollicking opener “5 AM” to “Lurking in the Shadows,” constitute perhaps the best and most addicting introduction to a new band that I’ve heard in ages. Jim Kotsis’ (Black Soul Horde) swaggering riffs, buttery-smooth bass, and infectious rhythms consistently motivate this record through high-octane, bar-ready romps and doom-y crawls with equal liveliness, proving himself to be a versatile and exciting musician. Meanwhile, Kate Soulthorn croons and belts her way across this record with a venomous, but brassy and clear delivery oozing with charisma (“Rule With Fire,” “Lurking in the Shadows,” “Witches’ Dance”). While the record loses just a touch of momentum in the middle (“By the River, Crown of Arrogance”), there are no bad tracks to be found. Furthermore, repeat spins yield even greater enjoyment, as this record has only grown on me since my first spin and I don’t expect that trend to taper anytime soon.
Tales From the Garden
Molten // Malicide [March 6th, 2024 – Transylvanian Recordings]
Sometimes a band does one thing so well you don’t really need anything else to be great. Molten doesn’t stand out because of its vocals, a serviceable but somewhat limited growl. The drums are likewise decent, but nothing to cream your pants over. But the riffs! If that hurly burly bouncing up the stairs riff of “Pathogenesis” doesn’t put your facehole in a grin, it may be time to call it quits on death metal. Same for the insane, blistering solo that punctuates “Scorched” or the absolute neck-snapping title track. The latter is also the best place to spot the skillful bass parts that sneakily elevate the guitars to sound as good as they do. With a bunch of short ‘n snappy tracks showcasing Molten’s chops, a sudden 9-and-a-half-minute thrash epic sounds like a disaster in waiting, but the riffs, the solos and the serpentine bass are all high enough quality that I don’t want the San Fran boys to stop firing their big hooky shit at my face anyway. Malicide is a humble package, utterly crammed with infectious fun and riffy goodness, so get on that shit or get off the death metal pot.
Saunders’ Smoldering Cinders
BRAT // Social Grace [March 15th, 2024 – Prosthetic Records]
Look beyond their questionable moniker and self-proclaimed ‘Bimboviolence’ tag, and NOLA up-and-comers BRAT impresses on their debut LP, Social Grace. Listeners would be foolish to pass over this band as some sort of gimmicky modern metal act, the rugged, ugly musical form BRAT composes packs a serious punch. Social Grace present a thuggish, volatile concoction where the crossroads of grind, death and powerviolence meet. Factor in sludgy hues and seedy NOLA tones adding layers of extra grime and grit to short, sharp, stabbing cuts that pull no punches. The blasty, belligerent throes of old school grind meets sludge stomp of “Hesitation Wound” showcases BRAT’s deft ability to shift gears and compliment rabid blasting and grindy chaos, with infectious riffs and brawling grooves. Social Grace features similarly raw examples of gnarly, unbridled menace. Amped aggression, throaty vocals and speedy surges are complemented by fun, headbanging riffs and toughened grooves, lending the album a catchy edge and solid replay value reflected on gems such as the rifftastic title track, contrasting charms of “Truncheon,” and feedback-drenched grind-punk fury of “Human Offense.”
Suicidal Angels // Profane Prayer [March 1st, 2024 – Nuclear Blast]
Unsung Greek institution Suicidal Angels have pumped out material since the early aughts, crafting Euro-flavored thrash with a heavy dose of American influence, including Exodus and Slayer. Throw in an occasional atmospheric, melodeath twist, and you are left with a dependably solid batch of meat and potatoes goodness. Although rarely blowing minds, Suicidal Angels’ retro thrash platters, such as Dead Again and Bloodbath, represent potent examples of the band’s trusty formula. Following a five-year recording gap, Suicidal Angels return with their eighth LP, Profane Prayer. Profane Prayer follows a familiar trajectory, yet sounds fresh, full of energy and armed with fiery, aggressive riffage. These dudes are a tight unit, and the explosive speediness and exuberant performances shine alongside killer old school riffage, slashing solos, and technical embellishments. Ferociously infectious thrashers like “When the Lions Die,” “Purified by Fire,” “Crypts of Madness” and ‘Virtues of Destruction” sound more inspired than I’ve heard from the band in some time. Profane Prayer has moments of bloat, but the pros outweigh the cons, resulting in a largely enjoyable and explosive thrash platter. Props to the band for stretching their wings on the epic, progressively leaning journey of “Deathstalker,” and similarly adventurous closer “The Fire Paths of Fate,” showing Suicidal Angels still have some tricks up their sleeves.
Thus Spoke’s Forgotten Findings
Carrion Vael // Cannibals Anonymous [March 29th, 2024 – Unique Leader Records]
I was introduced to Carrion Vael by Dr. Grier’s review of their 2022 LP Abhorrent Obsessions where he deemed it “a beast of a record,” and I wholeheartedly concurred. Fortunately for all of us lovers of the Indiana melodeath/deathcore/generally heavy bunch, Cannibals Anonymous largely picks up where the previous one left off. It’s vicious, and satisfyingly slick, the rapidly descending/ascending scales, smooth, fast transitions between always-driving-forward tempos, and cutthroat snarls once again betraying a Black Dahlia Murder influence, but with a bit more of a deathcore angle. The riffy kind of deathcore. Because yeah, this thing has riffs (see especially ” “Love Zombie,” “Discount Meats,” and “Pins and Needles”)—as well as gore—spilling out of its every orifice, and they’re great. Also surprisingly fun are the further extended use of cleans now appearing on most of the album’s tracks, which only serve to make them more catchy, compelling, and fun, whether they’re shouty and atonal (“Discount Meats”), or genuinely mellifluous (“Savage Messiah,” “Pins and Needles,” “Augusta’s Dead”); and they’re more often the latter. Carrion Vael also lean a little further into the urgent-minor melodic refrain territory that made Abhorrent Obsessions so sticky, with “Savage Messiah,” “Pins and Needles,” and “Everything/Nothing” standing out. This isn’t changing the scene, but goddamn it if you won’t have a fucking fantastic time chucking some heavy weights around or generally vibing with a massive grin on your face whilst listening to it. Go on, you know you want to.
Dear Hollow’s Deafening Debris
Givre // Le Cloître [March 29th, 2024 – Eisenwald]
It’s not often that a black metal band willingly discusses Christianity in a somewhat endearing light, so the Quebecois Givre is a bit of a conundrum. However, in the most brutal fashion possible, this trio discusses examples of female saints and each respective trail of pain left behind in the pursuit of holiness. Given the subject matter, you can imagine the cross that is borne across its forty-two-minute runtime. Each track carries with it a mood and style of its own, united as a whole through the atoning power of agony, as all characters throughout have suffered greatly for the sake of Christ. That being said, this is regardless a hopeful album, and in many ways, La Cloître feels like a meditation, fluid movements whose organicity revolves around gentle plucking. While tracks like opener “Marthe Robin (1902-1981)” and “Sainte Thérèse d’Avila (1515-1582)” embrace this aesthetic of prayerful lamentation, it does not stop the winding riff punishment of “Louise du Néant (1639-1694)” from scorching the surrounding soil, or the mysterious, nearly Southern rock-oriented, “Sainte Hildegarde de Bingen (1098-1179)” and desperate start-stop riffs of “Sainte Marguerite de Cortone (1247-1297)” from commanding otherworldly planes. While the stylistic choices differ and may be jarring to listeners, it is cemented by its theme as it pursues God down lesser-trodden trails of atonement through flagellation.
Profane Burial // My Plateau [March 1st, 2024 – Crime Records]
The Norwegian black metallers channel nearly everything they can get their grimy claws onto in My Plateau. Profane Burial professes to be “cinematic black metal,” and that is an accurate description in its boundary-pushing of atmospheric and symphonic texture: imagine if Midnight Odyssey and Septicflesh met at a midnight showing of The Exorcist. Besides its more contemplative moments, you’ll find that My Plateau is a deceptively mammoth listen, as chugging guitars and colossal drums collide with grim symphonics and haunting ambiance. The opening title track, “Fragments of Dirge,” and “Disambiguate Eradication” are aptly bombastic kabooms in mad waltzes of demonic proportions layered with rich symphonic textures, while the blasts colliding with chugs and piano trills in “Moribund” and “Righteous Indoctrination” add to the Wreche-on-crack vibe, while the triumphant battle cry in closer “Horror Code” is equal parts macabre and pummeling. For being inspired by horror scores, Profane Burial is scatterbrained and wonky, but it doesn’t stop My Plateau from embracing the bombast in a fun-as-hell symphonic black metal foray touched by madness.
#2024 #AllThingsBlack #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSoulHorde #BRAT #CanadianMetal #CannibalsAnonymous #CarrionVael #CrimeRecords #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Doom #Eisenwald #Exodus #Givre #GreekMetal #Grindcore #HeavyMetal #LeCloître #Malicide #Mar24 #MelodicDeathMetal #MidnightOdyssey #Molten #MyPlateau #NorwegianMetal #NuclearBlastRecords #OccultMetal #OccultRock #Powerviolence #ProfaneBurial #ProfanePrayer #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews #SaturdayNightSatan #SelfRelease #SepticFlesh #SepticFlesh #Slayer #SocialGrace #StuckInTheFilter #SuicidalAngels #SymphonicBlackMetal #TheBlackDahliaMurder #ThrashMetal #TransylvanianRecords #UniqueLeaderRecords #Wreche
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Barbarous – Initium Mors Review
By Angry Metal Guy
By: Nameless_n00b_603
Death metal boasts a lush buffet of subgenres. From mind-flaying technicality to chilling dissonance to wanton mirth, there’s something for everyone. Unmoved by how much the genre has evolved, some folks just want the straightforward, grass-fed variety that defined American death metal in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. And what bloodsport that was—Cannibal Corpse hammer-smashed listeners to paste, Deicide seared anti-religious sentiment into their collective hide, and Morbid Angel infected them with tainted melody. Barbarous slides comfortably into the fray, wielding debut Initium Mors, but does it pack enough punch to survive the melee?1
Inspiration plays an immediate role in Barbarous’s sound. Though they hail from Oakland, California, it’s the Tampa Bay scene that casts the longest shadow. Cannibal Corpse’s influence is undeniable, providing the blueprint for punishing grooves and six-string savagery (“The Tomb Spawn,” “Conscious Decomposition”). Vocalist Travis LaBerge retches and roars somewhere between Deicide’s Glen Benton and Hate Eternal’s Eric Rutan,2 while the music also harkens to early Deicide at times (compare “By Lead or Steel” with “Serpents of the Light”). There are additional influences, too, including Necrot and Skeletal Remains, two bands heavily influenced by Death and Morbid Angel, proving all roads lead to Tampa.3 This isn’t to say that Barbarous doesn’t flex their own brand of muscular death metal. The title track does a fabulous job of baking Slaughter of the Soul-esque melody into the chorus while staying true to the Floridian Sound Machine’s jackhammering boogie.4 I see flashes of a distinct identity in Initium Mors, but more refinement would serve Barbarous to forge their own path out from the shadows of giants.
Throughout Initium Mors, Barbarous pounds and pummels with neck-snapping fury and brawny chugs. Any track would effortlessly slot into a respectable workout playlist, with “By Lead or Steel” and “Tools of the Trade” being my choice cuts. Opener “Injection of the Exhumed” storms out the gates with a phlegm-rattling gut punch buoyed by aggressive riffing and blast beats, followed by a Slayer-laced wail. And that’s just the first twenty seconds. Hostile grooves and pulverizing paces drive the momentum across Initium Mors’s fleeting runtime, never surrendering a moment to catch your breath. Barbarous’s unflinching imperative is to carve listeners to the root, evidenced by the album’s razor-sharp guitar-playing (“Tools of the Trade,” “Conscious Decomposition”) courtesy of Zach Weed and Thomas Belfiore. Solos set fire to tracks when they kick in, whether it’s via soulful swagger (“By Lead or Steel”) or finger-blistering fury (“Coup de Grace”). Either way, they’re unfailingly fun. Travis Zupo’s dynamic drumming bludgeons with teeth-rattling thunder (“Conscious Decomposition”) while LaBerge stays the course with calculated, vomitous barks. The only underseasoned component is Zach Jakes’s bass guitar, which is a commentary on audibility rather than skill. Listening for bass in Initium Mors reminds me of Tantalus—the more I crank the volume to hear what that sweet bottom end is doing, the murkier the wall of sound becomes.5 Considering the meaty through-line that bass provides in many a death metal casserole, elevating its heft would push Barbarous’s recipe to gloriously heinous heights.
Production and mastering are a mixed bag, presenting opportunities and highlights. The album is LOUD, and while that’s generally how I like to listen to death metal, a more spacious mix would have improved the overarching balance. For an album brimming with balls-out belligerence, such an oppressive production creates an exhausting listen despite the twenty-nine-minute runtime. Still, there’s plenty to praise. Guitars and drums are front and center, so it’s easy to appreciate their intricacies and chops. LaBerge’s vocals are also conspicuously comprehensible,6 which is refreshing for extreme gutturals. While I initially noted his gurgles as monotonous, over repeated listens, I’ve come to appreciate LaBerge’s nimble work as he juggles spewing growls and coherence.
Initium Mors is a triumphant debut and should appease death metal aficionados without qualification. Barbarous is loud, ugly, and here to melt your face in just under half an hour. There’s a lot to like on Initium Mors, even if it’s not breaking any molds. If Barbarous can give the mix a bit more room and firmly establish an identity that transcends their influences, their next release could be an absolute banger. For now, Initium Mors is a solid addition to the annals of meat ‘n’ taters death metal, leaving Barbarous to unapologetically smash skulls and shatter eardrums while delivering a veritable smörgåsbord of protein and spuds.7 Bon appétit!
Rating: Good!
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Creator-Destructor Records
Website: barbarousband.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2025#2025 #30 #AmericanDeathMetal #AtTheGates #Aug25 #Barbarous #CannibalCorpse #Death #Deicide #FloridaDeathMetal #HateEternal #InitiumMors #MorbidAngel #Necrot #Review #Reviews #SkeletalRemains #SlaughterOfTheSoul
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Barbarous – Initium Mors Review
By Angry Metal Guy
By: Nameless_n00b_603
Death metal boasts a lush buffet of subgenres. From mind-flaying technicality to chilling dissonance to wanton mirth, there’s something for everyone. Unmoved by how much the genre has evolved, some folks just want the straightforward, grass-fed variety that defined American death metal in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. And what bloodsport that was—Cannibal Corpse hammer-smashed listeners to paste, Deicide seared anti-religious sentiment into their collective hide, and Morbid Angel infected them with tainted melody. Barbarous slides comfortably into the fray, wielding debut Initium Mors, but does it pack enough punch to survive the melee?1
Inspiration plays an immediate role in Barbarous’s sound. Though they hail from Oakland, California, it’s the Tampa Bay scene that casts the longest shadow. Cannibal Corpse’s influence is undeniable, providing the blueprint for punishing grooves and six-string savagery (“The Tomb Spawn,” “Conscious Decomposition”). Vocalist Travis LaBerge retches and roars somewhere between Deicide’s Glen Benton and Hate Eternal’s Eric Rutan,2 while the music also harkens to early Deicide at times (compare “By Lead or Steel” with “Serpents of the Light”). There are additional influences, too, including Necrot and Skeletal Remains, two bands heavily influenced by Death and Morbid Angel, proving all roads lead to Tampa.3 This isn’t to say that Barbarous doesn’t flex their own brand of muscular death metal. The title track does a fabulous job of baking Slaughter of the Soul-esque melody into the chorus while staying true to the Floridian Sound Machine’s jackhammering boogie.4 I see flashes of a distinct identity in Initium Mors, but more refinement would serve Barbarous to forge their own path out from the shadows of giants.
Throughout Initium Mors, Barbarous pounds and pummels with neck-snapping fury and brawny chugs. Any track would effortlessly slot into a respectable workout playlist, with “By Lead or Steel” and “Tools of the Trade” being my choice cuts. Opener “Injection of the Exhumed” storms out the gates with a phlegm-rattling gut punch buoyed by aggressive riffing and blast beats, followed by a Slayer-laced wail. And that’s just the first twenty seconds. Hostile grooves and pulverizing paces drive the momentum across Initium Mors’s fleeting runtime, never surrendering a moment to catch your breath. Barbarous’s unflinching imperative is to carve listeners to the root, evidenced by the album’s razor-sharp guitar-playing (“Tools of the Trade,” “Conscious Decomposition”) courtesy of Zach Weed and Thomas Belfiore. Solos set fire to tracks when they kick in, whether it’s via soulful swagger (“By Lead or Steel”) or finger-blistering fury (“Coup de Grace”). Either way, they’re unfailingly fun. Travis Zupo’s dynamic drumming bludgeons with teeth-rattling thunder (“Conscious Decomposition”) while LaBerge stays the course with calculated, vomitous barks. The only underseasoned component is Zach Jakes’s bass guitar, which is a commentary on audibility rather than skill. Listening for bass in Initium Mors reminds me of Tantalus—the more I crank the volume to hear what that sweet bottom end is doing, the murkier the wall of sound becomes.5 Considering the meaty through-line that bass provides in many a death metal casserole, elevating its heft would push Barbarous’s recipe to gloriously heinous heights.
Production and mastering are a mixed bag, presenting opportunities and highlights. The album is LOUD, and while that’s generally how I like to listen to death metal, a more spacious mix would have improved the overarching balance. For an album brimming with balls-out belligerence, such an oppressive production creates an exhausting listen despite the twenty-nine-minute runtime. Still, there’s plenty to praise. Guitars and drums are front and center, so it’s easy to appreciate their intricacies and chops. LaBerge’s vocals are also conspicuously comprehensible,6 which is refreshing for extreme gutturals. While I initially noted his gurgles as monotonous, over repeated listens, I’ve come to appreciate LaBerge’s nimble work as he juggles spewing growls and coherence.
Initium Mors is a triumphant debut and should appease death metal aficionados without qualification. Barbarous is loud, ugly, and here to melt your face in just under half an hour. There’s a lot to like on Initium Mors, even if it’s not breaking any molds. If Barbarous can give the mix a bit more room and firmly establish an identity that transcends their influences, their next release could be an absolute banger. For now, Initium Mors is a solid addition to the annals of meat ‘n’ taters death metal, leaving Barbarous to unapologetically smash skulls and shatter eardrums while delivering a veritable smörgåsbord of protein and spuds.7 Bon appétit!
Rating: Good!
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Creator-Destructor Records
Website: barbarousband.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2025#2025 #30 #AmericanDeathMetal #AtTheGates #Aug25 #Barbarous #CannibalCorpse #Death #Deicide #FloridaDeathMetal #HateEternal #InitiumMors #MorbidAngel #Necrot #Review #Reviews #SkeletalRemains #SlaughterOfTheSoul
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Barbarous – Initium Mors Review
By Angry Metal Guy
By: Nameless_n00b_603
Death metal boasts a lush buffet of subgenres. From mind-flaying technicality to chilling dissonance to wanton mirth, there’s something for everyone. Unmoved by how much the genre has evolved, some folks just want the straightforward, grass-fed variety that defined American death metal in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. And what bloodsport that was—Cannibal Corpse hammer-smashed listeners to paste, Deicide seared anti-religious sentiment into their collective hide, and Morbid Angel infected them with tainted melody. Barbarous slides comfortably into the fray, wielding debut Initium Mors, but does it pack enough punch to survive the melee?1
Inspiration plays an immediate role in Barbarous’s sound. Though they hail from Oakland, California, it’s the Tampa Bay scene that casts the longest shadow. Cannibal Corpse’s influence is undeniable, providing the blueprint for punishing grooves and six-string savagery (“The Tomb Spawn,” “Conscious Decomposition”). Vocalist Travis LaBerge retches and roars somewhere between Deicide’s Glen Benton and Hate Eternal’s Eric Rutan,2 while the music also harkens to early Deicide at times (compare “By Lead or Steel” with “Serpents of the Light”). There are additional influences, too, including Necrot and Skeletal Remains, two bands heavily influenced by Death and Morbid Angel, proving all roads lead to Tampa.3 This isn’t to say that Barbarous doesn’t flex their own brand of muscular death metal. The title track does a fabulous job of baking Slaughter of the Soul-esque melody into the chorus while staying true to the Floridian Sound Machine’s jackhammering boogie.4 I see flashes of a distinct identity in Initium Mors, but more refinement would serve Barbarous to forge their own path out from the shadows of giants.
Throughout Initium Mors, Barbarous pounds and pummels with neck-snapping fury and brawny chugs. Any track would effortlessly slot into a respectable workout playlist, with “By Lead or Steel” and “Tools of the Trade” being my choice cuts. Opener “Injection of the Exhumed” storms out the gates with a phlegm-rattling gut punch buoyed by aggressive riffing and blast beats, followed by a Slayer-laced wail. And that’s just the first twenty seconds. Hostile grooves and pulverizing paces drive the momentum across Initium Mors’s fleeting runtime, never surrendering a moment to catch your breath. Barbarous’s unflinching imperative is to carve listeners to the root, evidenced by the album’s razor-sharp guitar-playing (“Tools of the Trade,” “Conscious Decomposition”) courtesy of Zach Weed and Thomas Belfiore. Solos set fire to tracks when they kick in, whether it’s via soulful swagger (“By Lead or Steel”) or finger-blistering fury (“Coup de Grace”). Either way, they’re unfailingly fun. Travis Zupo’s dynamic drumming bludgeons with teeth-rattling thunder (“Conscious Decomposition”) while LaBerge stays the course with calculated, vomitous barks. The only underseasoned component is Zach Jakes’s bass guitar, which is a commentary on audibility rather than skill. Listening for bass in Initium Mors reminds me of Tantalus—the more I crank the volume to hear what that sweet bottom end is doing, the murkier the wall of sound becomes.5 Considering the meaty through-line that bass provides in many a death metal casserole, elevating its heft would push Barbarous’s recipe to gloriously heinous heights.
Production and mastering are a mixed bag, presenting opportunities and highlights. The album is LOUD, and while that’s generally how I like to listen to death metal, a more spacious mix would have improved the overarching balance. For an album brimming with balls-out belligerence, such an oppressive production creates an exhausting listen despite the twenty-nine-minute runtime. Still, there’s plenty to praise. Guitars and drums are front and center, so it’s easy to appreciate their intricacies and chops. LaBerge’s vocals are also conspicuously comprehensible,6 which is refreshing for extreme gutturals. While I initially noted his gurgles as monotonous, over repeated listens, I’ve come to appreciate LaBerge’s nimble work as he juggles spewing growls and coherence.
Initium Mors is a triumphant debut and should appease death metal aficionados without qualification. Barbarous is loud, ugly, and here to melt your face in just under half an hour. There’s a lot to like on Initium Mors, even if it’s not breaking any molds. If Barbarous can give the mix a bit more room and firmly establish an identity that transcends their influences, their next release could be an absolute banger. For now, Initium Mors is a solid addition to the annals of meat ‘n’ taters death metal, leaving Barbarous to unapologetically smash skulls and shatter eardrums while delivering a veritable smörgåsbord of protein and spuds.7 Bon appétit!
Rating: Good!
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Creator-Destructor Records
Website: barbarousband.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2025#2025 #30 #AmericanDeathMetal #AtTheGates #Aug25 #Barbarous #CannibalCorpse #Death #Deicide #FloridaDeathMetal #HateEternal #InitiumMors #MorbidAngel #Necrot #Review #Reviews #SkeletalRemains #SlaughterOfTheSoul
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Stuck in the Filter: October 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
They say it’s going to be a harsh winter this year. They always say that, and it’s almost never true, at least not from where I’ve set up camp. However, no matter the weather I am a harsh taskmaster, doling out grueling hours, no pay or benefits, and probably the worst coffee on the planet to my dutiful minions. It takes a special kind of person, motivated by pure unadulterated greed to ravenously scour the filter for dusty, almost-forgotten gems like they do.
But we are thankful for them for being exactly that! And we also benefit, in the form of quality(ish) chunks of glimmery, shimmery metal. BEHOLD!
Kenstrosity’s Riffy Representation
Xaoc // Repulsive Summoning [October 31, 2025 – Edgewood Arsenal Records]
Xaoc’s history is one of the more confusing I’ve encountered in my time writing for this blog. After breaking up in 2008, a new lineup spawned in 2022 to record and release Proxime Mortis from the ashes of songs written pre-breakup, supported by Edgewood Arsenal. At some point this year, two more members spawned in anticipation of this new slab Repulsive Summoning. But the band’s labeled as Split Up already on Metallum? I don’t understand what’s going on there, but at least I can say that Repulsive Summoning is a turbo banger! These riffs are bonkers, full of verve and swagger, brimming with groove and muscularity. A happy mix of Vomitory and Dormant Ordeal, this Virginian outfit know how to throw down. Highlights like “Ave Solva Coagula,” “Antima Samskara,” “The Great Perfected Ones,” and the entire “Degenerate Era” three-part suite reduce my body into a fine slurry by the grinding, vicious power of their riffs alone. But the rabid growls, ballistic percussion, and meaty guitar tones contain more than enough fuel to propel those riffs across this tight and thunderous 35-minute runtime. It’s a simple record, built to beat me down and leave me broken and bloodied, but it’s also an effortlessly memorable affair that leaves me wanting more despite the mounting medical bills. Don’t sleep on Xaoc!
Andy-War-Hall’s Succulent Surplus
Canvas of Silence // As the World Tree Fell [October 31st, 2025 – Rockshots Records]
Finnish symphonic metallers Canvas of Silence describe themselves as “prog-influenced chorus metal,” and that description goes far in outlining their debut As the World Tree Fell. Their core sound resembles a progged-out Nightwish moonlighting as a melodeath band, committing ludicrous bombast on symphonic-heavy cuts like “The Great Unknown” and “Wayfarer” amidst a sharp Gothenburg riff attack in “Watching the World Tree Fall” and “Drown.” Canvas of Silence mete out a balanced approach of light and dark sounds between Theocracyesque prog-power (“One With the Wind,” “Humanimal”) and Madder Mortem-like gothic twists (“Drown,” “Anthem for Ashes”), all reined in by the commanding vocal presence of singer Loimu Satakieli.1 Sitting somewhere between Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish, The Dark Element) and Agnete Kierkevaag (Madder Mortem), her impassioned and heavily-layered singing turns As the World Tree Fell into a smörgåsbord of lush, catchy and anthemic tunes of an uplifting, sing-along nature. Optimism permeates As the World Tree Fell, felt at a fever pitch on the enormous choral bridge of “Humanimal” and the folky power metal jaunt of “One With the Wind.” Even on lyrically dark/mournful passages like “Wayfarer” and “Garden of the Fallen,” Canvas of Silence deliver soaring, hopeful crescendos that at times reach Fellowship levels of good cheer. Canvas of Silence can craft sincerely beautiful moments, and though As the World Tree Fell’s production can be sterile and overly loud2 I am nothing but excited to see what these Finns can cook up next.
Spicie Forrest’s Punky Proferrings
Violent Testimony // Aggravate [October 17th, 2025 – Horror Pain Gore Death Productions]
Do you wish there was more grind in your life? Well, Cheyenne, Wyoming’s Violent Testimony just assumed you would. Combining the punky flair of Napalm Death with the lead foot ethos of early Pig Destroyer and Cattle Decapitation, debut LP Aggravate is 26 minutes of delicious grindy goodness. From the opening salvo of “God Complex Massacre” to the final detonations of “Hit N’ Run,” Violent Testimony shows absolutely no restraint. D.N.’s Gatling drums mow down everything in their path while T.W.’s serpentine bass clears the chaff and flattens any obstruction. Shrapnel propelled by N.Y.’s brutish, breakneck riffing can be seen burying itself in concrete walls, still quivering (“Rider in the Night,” “Psychotic Episode”). Caustic growls and vitriolic screams tear from T.W.’s throat at mach fuck (“Flashbang Celebration,” “Obligatory Manifestation of Infinite Grind”). With only two tracks exceeding the two-minute mark, Violent Testimony screams their piece with as much sound and fury as possible before moving on and picking their next bone with the system. This keeps Aggravate a lean, densely-packed offering. If you need to get pissed off right now and even the fastest death metal is too slow, Violent Testimony is all too happy to decimate the opposition with you.
Uaar // Galger og Brann [October 17th, 2025 – Fysisk Format Records]
Hailing from Oslo, Norway, crust outfit Uaar celebrates their tenth birthday by releasing their debut LP. Galger og Brann, which means “Gallows and Fire” in Norwegian, expands on the foundations laid by established acts like Skitsystem and Tragedy. With one foot firmly planted in black metal and the other in hardcore, Uaar unleashes a cacophony of rage unfettered. D-beats abound, courtesy of Truls Friesl Berg, creating a frantic, enraged atmosphere. Dag Schaug Carlsen’s blackened rasps are so cold they burn, matching the evil pall hanging over tracks like “Galeås” and “Den siste.” Post-flecked, Ancsty tendencies (“Alt Skal Brenne,” “Overalt”) peek through the feral hardcore riffage (“Håpet forsvinner”) of guitarists Erik Berg Friesl and Jon Schaug Carlsen, while bassist Stian S. Evensen provides the muscle to convince you these guys aren’t screwing around. Uaar is well-versed in their base genres, alternating between and mixing black metal and hardcore effortlessly. The occasional blues-tinged heavy metal lead—as in “Overalt” and “Dolken”—keep Galger og Brann from being a one-note affair. With a dearth of standout blackened hardcore releases this year, Uaar’s Galger og Brann is a welcome—if late—addition to the list.
Scorching Tomb // Ossuary [October 24th, 2025 – Time to Kill Records]
I’ll be honest, I’ve never considered Montreal, Canada, to be prime death metal territory. Luckily, Scorching Tomb doesn’t care what I think. Debut LP Ossuary is an aural violation born of Tren-induced hardcore aggression and filthy old school death metal. With a guitar tone (Philippe Lelbanc) like sandpaper and a bass like swallowing gravel (Miguel Lepage), Scorching Tomb plays in the same cesspools as Bloodgutter and Rotpit. We normally associate melted faces with guitar solos, but that honor belongs to whatever corrosive noises issue forth from vocalist Vincent Patrick Lajeunesse’s guts. Drummer Émile Savard loves a blast beat, often detonating them in short bursts to support an already bone-breaking assault (“Feel the Blade”). “Stalagmite3 Impalement” and “Sanctum of Bones (Ossuary)” are particularly savage, with tetanus-inflicting riffs and bloodthirsty screams threatening to drag you into the crypt to be used for meal prep. On “Skullcrush,” Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank perfectly matches Scorching Tomb’s vile depravity, cementing them as a promising new act in the scene. Ossuary is raging, muscle-bound, caveman death metal drowned in a vat of viscera and sewage, and it tastes incredible.
ClarkKent’s Gratifying Goodies
Sutratma // Adrift [October 3rd, 2025 – Self-Release]
While I didn’t purposely seek out more doom during my self-imposed month of picking only doom promos, Sutratma’s fifth full-length, Adrift, ranks as one of the better doom albums I listened to in November. This California four-piece has been writing funeral doom for 15 years, and it shows in their ability to craft effective melancholic slow-burns that strike a balance between melody and crushingly heavy. Adrift impresses straight out the gate with the piano-drenched “Wind and Sea.” This song nicely melds the sorrowful softness of the piano with punishing guitar riffs and impressive growls. Just like stalwarts My Dying Bride, Sutratma mixes growls with cleans, and Daniel Larios’s cleans effectively hit you right in the feels while the growls take on a more despairing note. There’s plenty of variety from song to song, with organs stealing the show on “Guiding Star” and a lovely melody on “The Great Bereaver” that builds up to a moving finale. Just like with Oromet, there’s a serenity to the music that is calming, and the skilled songwriting and musicianship lends a poignancy to it all. With the frenzy of list season upon us, it’s nice to have something like this to remind us that it’s okay to just slow down—even when an angry ape is berating you for more content.
Starer // Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness [October 10th, 2025 – Fiadh Productions]
Josh Hines, the one man behind black metal project, Starer, has been very busy. Since forming Starer in 2020, he has released four EPs and now, with the release of Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness, four LPs. I first became acquainted with this band on 2023’s Wind, Breeze, or Breath and was taken in by Hines’s aggressively atmospheric take on black metal. Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness hits the ground running on “I Cry Your Mother’s Blood” with some aggressively catchy melodies. The aggression continues on “Il-Kantilena” with its icy riffs and pumping blast beats. Meanwhile, “The Field of Reeds” combines the black n’ roll of Fell Omen with the fuzzy reverb of atmoblack for a rollicking good time. Hines screams into the void as subdued symphonics add layers of melody, providing a surprising amount of depth to each song. Because of the frenetic pace, the 50-minute runtime flies right by, even as songs like “Song of the Harper” do their best to vary the tempo. For black metal, the production is lush and gorgeous, giving air to all instruments. The epic, ten-minute finale is the culmination of Hines’s ability to put together complex and compelling music that both excites by its aggression and dazzles with its atmospherics. Black metal fans should not miss this one.
Grin Reaper’s Haunted Harvest
Black Cross Hotel // Songs for Switches [October 31st, 2025 – Someoddpilot Records]
Three years after dropping their favorably reviewed debut Hex, keys-drenched and industrialized outfit Black Cross Hotel returns bearing Songs for Switches. 80s-inspired synths, mid-paced chugs, and dance-ready grooves pack neatly into forty-one minutes of grubby fun, sure to interest fans of Ministry and Killing Joke, or anyone with a predilection for leather. Where Hex boasted a wider assortment of tempos, Songs for Switches narrows its focus to mid-paced songs with a keener emphasis on keyboard melodies. Averting a direction that could have been limiting, Black Cross Hotel smartly sidesteps this by shaving down song lengths and arranging the tracks for optimal pacing. Individual moments across the album evoke Me and That Man (“Eyes from Nowhere”), Soulfly (“Blood Dance”), and Joy Division (“Typo”), casting an eclectic array of sounds into Mount Gloom to forge ten dangerously fun tracks. Though I liked the album at first listen, it took multiple spins for Songs for Switches’ distilled aesthetic to fully unfurl, and once it did, my appreciation redoubled. With a sinister atmosphere designed as much for pain as pleasure, Black Cross Hotel has readied your room for a night you won’t forget.
Miasmata // Subterrania [October 31st, 2025 – Naturmacht Productions]
Still hawking their distinctive blend of meloblack and heavy metal, Miasmata dropped sophomore platter Subterrania on what was one of the most congested release days of 2025.4 In addition to the recurring influences of Windir (“Die at the Right Time”) and Iron Maiden (the intro to “Subterrania” smacks of The X Factor), Subterrania adds a dollop of thrash into the mix. Opener “Those Who Cross the Flame” struts out with a punky riff that wouldn’t be out of place on an Anthrax record, while “Full of the Devil” tastes as much like Testament or Havok as Diamond Head. The beauty of Miasmata, both on debut Unlight: Songs of Earth and Atrophy and Subterrania, is one-man mastermind Mike Wilson’s aptitude to synthesize a mighty host of influences into a unique sonic palette all his own. As Sharky noted in Unlight’s review, Miasmata has a knack for remarkable restraint. Subterrania clocks under forty minutes, layering slithery riffs upon one another in a way that propels the music in constant motion, shifting and unfolding so organically that the album slips by before you realize it’s over (an especially impressive feat considering the self-titled closer’s near fourteen-minute runtime). If you missed Miasmata’s latest on release day, go rectify that. Don’t let Subterrania get lost to the underground.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Autumnal Anomoly
夢遊病者 // РЛБ300119225 [October 28th, 2025 – Self Release]
As if plucked into lucidity from amidst a hazy, proggy machination, РЛБ30011922 steps into its narrative—an exploration of a beloved figure in its creator’s life, including sound clips describing the trials through which she persisted—with an entrancing stumble. Through an understated math rock lens, tight kit rhythms with a tension-building hi-hat clashes strut against a loud and leading bass voice across 37 minutes of fluid guitar textures. Whether it’s the chunky fusion reminiscent of Hackett-era Gordian Knot, the playful rhythmic post-rock that evokes a band like toe, or the fuzzed-out punctuation that tell a prog tale as ’70s King Crimson would, 夢遊病者, also known as Sleepwalker, makes their love of sound as clear as their love of РЛБ30011922’s inspiration. In a setting this free and detailed, not a single moment of this one-long-song opus passes by without taking a moment to focus on a given performer’s escalation in the drama of the movement. Wielding short guitar solos as segues into popping double-kick trots, spoken word exposition as pedal switch-up opportunities, all leading to a crescendo of bent and bluesy expression, 夢遊病者 succeeds in more than just holding an audience captive with their jammy and heartfelt statement. РЛБ30011922, like the shorter form releases that have graced these halls before, will have you coming back time and time again to explore its sentiments, which feel both traced from a dream yet rooted in rich, earthly tone pleasures.
Saunders’ Slinky Sneaks
Enragement // Extinguish All Existence [October 31st, 2025 – Transcending Obscurity]
The back end of 2025 has thrown down some delightfully vicious, chunkified, and straightforward death metal gems, courtesy of the likes of Depravity, Glorious Depravity and Terror Corpse. Not to be discounted, Finland’s Enragement dropped their own intense slab of brutal death on fourth LP, Extinguish All Existence. Cutting with any pleasantries, Enragement get down to business, slamming through a tight, burly collection of Americanized death, keenly treading a balance between thuggish beatdowns, chest-busting blasts, slammy, pig-squealing grooves, and more traditional, though deceptively diverse brutal death fare. Despite the certifiably crushing formula deployed, there is an air of accessibility, perhaps attributed to the clean but suitably beefy production job, bludgeoning, addictive grooves and sinister currents of atmospheric melody flowing through the album’s riff-centric veins. Thrashy, straightforward bursts of fury are tempered by more technical flourishes and an impressively versatile vocal assault. The likes of Devourment, Deeds of Flesh, Dawn of Demise and Benighted are perhaps fitting reference points, however, Enragement blast their own path of uncompromisingly heavy destruction.
Stephen Brodsky // Cut to the Core Vol. 1 [October 3rd, 2025 – Pax Aeturnum]
There are a couple of ways to broach this latest solo endeavor from lovable rogue and Cave In/Mutoid Man mastermind Stephen Brodsky. Brodsky delivers refreshed interpretations of various ’90s hardcore songs, reimagined in acoustic form. Those familiar with the original compositions will likely have fun dissecting and comparing the original anthems. While others, such as myself, largely unfamiliar with the originals, can enjoy these polished takes in their reimagined form, without comparison. Over the years, I have developed a strong connection with Brodsky’s works and come to appreciate his softer, acoustic flavorings. The likes of Snapcase, Converge, Texas is the Reason, Threadbare and By the Grace of God are some of the acts covered with typical style, zest, and emotion. Brodsky’s expressive and emotive delivery showcases both a loving appreciation of the material and deeper emotional connection that bleeds through the often darker, melancholic vibes of the acoustic constructions. The collection is remarkably consistent and infectious, highlighted by Brodsky’s crisp and soulful acoustic playing and distinctive singing voice on standout cuts, including “Windows” (Snapcase), “Benchwarmer” (Lincoln), “Fissures” (By the Grace of God), “Farewell Note to This City” (Converge), and “Voice” (Sense Field).
Soul Blind // Red Sky Mourning [October 10th, 2025 – Closed Casket Activities]
Riding a familiar wave of early ’00s alt-rock/metal and ’90s grungy nostalgia, New York’s Soul Blind emerge with sophomore LP, Red Sky Mourning. Although they tread dangerously close to overt derivation of prominent influences, including Alice in Chains, Deftones, and Helmet, Soul Blind manage to just stay afloat on their own terms. The dreamy melodies, chunky alt metal riffs, and soaring, Cantrell-esque vocal melodies cultivate some earwormy hooks and fuzzy, 90s/’00s feels. Soul Blind possess a knack for writing textured, mildly sludgy, infectious rock ditties, dabbling in shoegazing atmospherics, and sturdier alt metal territories along the way. Soul Blind relish in AIC inspired earworms (“Dyno,” “Hide Your Evil”), grittier, more aggressive alt metal fare (‘Billy,’ “New York Smoke”) and airy, indie pop-rock (“Thru the Haze”). Soul Blind have work to do to stand out from their influences and develop a more unique sound and robust character. However, the signs are positive for better things to come. Red Sky Mourning is a solid throwback album and handy companion piece to the equally nostalgia-inspired album from Bleed earlier in the year.
#2025 #Acoustic #Adrift #Aggravate #AliceInChains #AmericanMetal #AncientMonumentsAndModernSadness #Ancst #Anthrax #AsTheWorldTreeFell #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackCrossHotel #BlackMetal #Bleed #Bloodgutter #ByTheGraceOfGod #CanadianMetal #CanvasOfSilence #CattleDecapitation #CaveIn #ClosedCasketActivities #Converge #Crust #CutToTheCoreVol1 #DeathMetal #Deftones #Depravity #DiamondHead #DormantOrdeal #EdgewoodArsenalRecords #Enragement #ExtinguishAllExistence #FellOmen #Fellowship #FiadhProductions #FinnishMetal #FuneralDoom #FysiskFormatRecords #GalgerOgBrann #GloriousDepravity #GordianKnot #GrooveMetal #Grunge #HardRock #Hardcore #Havok #HeavyMetal #Helmet #HorrorPainGoreDeathProductions #IndependentRelease #IndustrialMetal #InternationalMetal #IronMaiden #JapaneseMetal #KillingJoke #KingCrimson #Lincoln #MadderMortem #MeAndThatMan #MelodicBlackMetal #Miasmata #Ministry #MutoidMan #MyDyingBride #NapalmDeath #NaturmachtProductions #NewZealandMetal #Nightwish #NorwegianMetal #Oct25 #Oromet #Ossuary #PaxAeternum #PigDestroyer #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveRock #RedSkyMourning #RepulsiveSummoning #Review #Reviews #RockshotsRecords #Rotpit #Sanguisugabogg #ScorchingTomb #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #SenseField #Skitsystem #Snapcase #SomeoddpilotReocrds #SongsForSwitches #SoulBlind #Soulfly #Starer #StephenBrodsky #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #Subterrania #Sutratma #SymphonicMetal #TerrorCorpse #Testament #TexasIsTheReason #TheDarkElement #Theocracy #Threadbare #TimeToKillRecords #toe #Tragedy #TranscendingObsurityRecords #Uaar #ViolentTestimony #Vomitory #Windir #Xaoc #РЛБ30011922 #夢遊病者
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Stuck in the Filter: October 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
They say it’s going to be a harsh winter this year. They always say that, and it’s almost never true, at least not from where I’ve set up camp. However, no matter the weather I am a harsh taskmaster, doling out grueling hours, no pay or benefits, and probably the worst coffee on the planet to my dutiful minions. It takes a special kind of person, motivated by pure unadulterated greed to ravenously scour the filter for dusty, almost-forgotten gems like they do.
But we are thankful for them for being exactly that! And we also benefit, in the form of quality(ish) chunks of glimmery, shimmery metal. BEHOLD!
Kenstrosity’s Riffy Representation
Xaoc // Repulsive Summoning [October 31, 2025 – Edgewood Arsenal Records]
Xaoc’s history is one of the more confusing I’ve encountered in my time writing for this blog. After breaking up in 2008, a new lineup spawned in 2022 to record and release Proxime Mortis from the ashes of songs written pre-breakup, supported by Edgewood Arsenal. At some point this year, two more members spawned in anticipation of this new slab Repulsive Summoning. But the band’s labeled as Split Up already on Metallum? I don’t understand what’s going on there, but at least I can say that Repulsive Summoning is a turbo banger! These riffs are bonkers, full of verve and swagger, brimming with groove and muscularity. A happy mix of Vomitory and Dormant Ordeal, this Virginian outfit know how to throw down. Highlights like “Ave Solva Coagula,” “Antima Samskara,” “The Great Perfected Ones,” and the entire “Degenerate Era” three-part suite reduce my body into a fine slurry by the grinding, vicious power of their riffs alone. But the rabid growls, ballistic percussion, and meaty guitar tones contain more than enough fuel to propel those riffs across this tight and thunderous 35-minute runtime. It’s a simple record, built to beat me down and leave me broken and bloodied, but it’s also an effortlessly memorable affair that leaves me wanting more despite the mounting medical bills. Don’t sleep on Xaoc!
Andy-War-Hall’s Succulent Surplus
Canvas of Silence // As the World Tree Fell [October 31st, 2025 – Rockshots Records]
Finnish symphonic metallers Canvas of Silence describe themselves as “prog-influenced chorus metal,” and that description goes far in outlining their debut As the World Tree Fell. Their core sound resembles a progged-out Nightwish moonlighting as a melodeath band, committing ludicrous bombast on symphonic-heavy cuts like “The Great Unknown” and “Wayfarer” amidst a sharp Gothenburg riff attack in “Watching the World Tree Fall” and “Drown.” Canvas of Silence mete out a balanced approach of light and dark sounds between Theocracyesque prog-power (“One With the Wind,” “Humanimal”) and Madder Mortem-like gothic twists (“Drown,” “Anthem for Ashes”), all reined in by the commanding vocal presence of singer Loimu Satakieli.1 Sitting somewhere between Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish, The Dark Element) and Agnete Kierkevaag (Madder Mortem), her impassioned and heavily-layered singing turns As the World Tree Fell into a smörgåsbord of lush, catchy and anthemic tunes of an uplifting, sing-along nature. Optimism permeates As the World Tree Fell, felt at a fever pitch on the enormous choral bridge of “Humanimal” and the folky power metal jaunt of “One With the Wind.” Even on lyrically dark/mournful passages like “Wayfarer” and “Garden of the Fallen,” Canvas of Silence deliver soaring, hopeful crescendos that at times reach Fellowship levels of good cheer. Canvas of Silence can craft sincerely beautiful moments, and though As the World Tree Fell’s production can be sterile and overly loud2 I am nothing but excited to see what these Finns can cook up next.
Spicie Forrest’s Punky Proferrings
Violent Testimony // Aggravate [October 17th, 2025 – Horror Pain Gore Death Productions]
Do you wish there was more grind in your life? Well, Cheyenne, Wyoming’s Violent Testimony just assumed you would. Combining the punky flair of Napalm Death with the lead foot ethos of early Pig Destroyer and Cattle Decapitation, debut LP Aggravate is 26 minutes of delicious grindy goodness. From the opening salvo of “God Complex Massacre” to the final detonations of “Hit N’ Run,” Violent Testimony shows absolutely no restraint. D.N.’s Gatling drums mow down everything in their path while T.W.’s serpentine bass clears the chaff and flattens any obstruction. Shrapnel propelled by N.Y.’s brutish, breakneck riffing can be seen burying itself in concrete walls, still quivering (“Rider in the Night,” “Psychotic Episode”). Caustic growls and vitriolic screams tear from T.W.’s throat at mach fuck (“Flashbang Celebration,” “Obligatory Manifestation of Infinite Grind”). With only two tracks exceeding the two-minute mark, Violent Testimony screams their piece with as much sound and fury as possible before moving on and picking their next bone with the system. This keeps Aggravate a lean, densely-packed offering. If you need to get pissed off right now and even the fastest death metal is too slow, Violent Testimony is all too happy to decimate the opposition with you.
Uaar // Galger og Brann [October 17th, 2025 – Fysisk Format Records]
Hailing from Oslo, Norway, crust outfit Uaar celebrates their tenth birthday by releasing their debut LP. Galger og Brann, which means “Gallows and Fire” in Norwegian, expands on the foundations laid by established acts like Skitsystem and Tragedy. With one foot firmly planted in black metal and the other in hardcore, Uaar unleashes a cacophony of rage unfettered. D-beats abound, courtesy of Truls Friesl Berg, creating a frantic, enraged atmosphere. Dag Schaug Carlsen’s blackened rasps are so cold they burn, matching the evil pall hanging over tracks like “Galeås” and “Den siste.” Post-flecked, Ancsty tendencies (“Alt Skal Brenne,” “Overalt”) peek through the feral hardcore riffage (“Håpet forsvinner”) of guitarists Erik Berg Friesl and Jon Schaug Carlsen, while bassist Stian S. Evensen provides the muscle to convince you these guys aren’t screwing around. Uaar is well-versed in their base genres, alternating between and mixing black metal and hardcore effortlessly. The occasional blues-tinged heavy metal lead—as in “Overalt” and “Dolken”—keep Galger og Brann from being a one-note affair. With a dearth of standout blackened hardcore releases this year, Uaar’s Galger og Brann is a welcome—if late—addition to the list.
Scorching Tomb // Ossuary [October 24th, 2025 – Time to Kill Records]
I’ll be honest, I’ve never considered Montreal, Canada, to be prime death metal territory. Luckily, Scorching Tomb doesn’t care what I think. Debut LP Ossuary is an aural violation born of Tren-induced hardcore aggression and filthy old school death metal. With a guitar tone (Philippe Lelbanc) like sandpaper and a bass like swallowing gravel (Miguel Lepage), Scorching Tomb plays in the same cesspools as Bloodgutter and Rotpit. We normally associate melted faces with guitar solos, but that honor belongs to whatever corrosive noises issue forth from vocalist Vincent Patrick Lajeunesse’s guts. Drummer Émile Savard loves a blast beat, often detonating them in short bursts to support an already bone-breaking assault (“Feel the Blade”). “Stalagmite3 Impalement” and “Sanctum of Bones (Ossuary)” are particularly savage, with tetanus-inflicting riffs and bloodthirsty screams threatening to drag you into the crypt to be used for meal prep. On “Skullcrush,” Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank perfectly matches Scorching Tomb’s vile depravity, cementing them as a promising new act in the scene. Ossuary is raging, muscle-bound, caveman death metal drowned in a vat of viscera and sewage, and it tastes incredible.
ClarkKent’s Gratifying Goodies
Sutratma // Adrift [October 3rd, 2025 – Self-Release]
While I didn’t purposely seek out more doom during my self-imposed month of picking only doom promos, Sutratma’s fifth full-length, Adrift, ranks as one of the better doom albums I listened to in November. This California four-piece has been writing funeral doom for 15 years, and it shows in their ability to craft effective melancholic slow-burns that strike a balance between melody and crushingly heavy. Adrift impresses straight out the gate with the piano-drenched “Wind and Sea.” This song nicely melds the sorrowful softness of the piano with punishing guitar riffs and impressive growls. Just like stalwarts My Dying Bride, Sutratma mixes growls with cleans, and Daniel Larios’s cleans effectively hit you right in the feels while the growls take on a more despairing note. There’s plenty of variety from song to song, with organs stealing the show on “Guiding Star” and a lovely melody on “The Great Bereaver” that builds up to a moving finale. Just like with Oromet, there’s a serenity to the music that is calming, and the skilled songwriting and musicianship lends a poignancy to it all. With the frenzy of list season upon us, it’s nice to have something like this to remind us that it’s okay to just slow down—even when an angry ape is berating you for more content.
Starer // Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness [October 10th, 2025 – Fiadh Productions]
Josh Hines, the one man behind black metal project, Starer, has been very busy. Since forming Starer in 2020, he has released four EPs and now, with the release of Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness, four LPs. I first became acquainted with this band on 2023’s Wind, Breeze, or Breath and was taken in by Hines’s aggressively atmospheric take on black metal. Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness hits the ground running on “I Cry Your Mother’s Blood” with some aggressively catchy melodies. The aggression continues on “Il-Kantilena” with its icy riffs and pumping blast beats. Meanwhile, “The Field of Reeds” combines the black n’ roll of Fell Omen with the fuzzy reverb of atmoblack for a rollicking good time. Hines screams into the void as subdued symphonics add layers of melody, providing a surprising amount of depth to each song. Because of the frenetic pace, the 50-minute runtime flies right by, even as songs like “Song of the Harper” do their best to vary the tempo. For black metal, the production is lush and gorgeous, giving air to all instruments. The epic, ten-minute finale is the culmination of Hines’s ability to put together complex and compelling music that both excites by its aggression and dazzles with its atmospherics. Black metal fans should not miss this one.
Grin Reaper’s Haunted Harvest
Black Cross Hotel // Songs for Switches [October 31st, 2025 – Someoddpilot Records]
Three years after dropping their favorably reviewed debut Hex, keys-drenched and industrialized outfit Black Cross Hotel returns bearing Songs for Switches. 80s-inspired synths, mid-paced chugs, and dance-ready grooves pack neatly into forty-one minutes of grubby fun, sure to interest fans of Ministry and Killing Joke, or anyone with a predilection for leather. Where Hex boasted a wider assortment of tempos, Songs for Switches narrows its focus to mid-paced songs with a keener emphasis on keyboard melodies. Averting a direction that could have been limiting, Black Cross Hotel smartly sidesteps this by shaving down song lengths and arranging the tracks for optimal pacing. Individual moments across the album evoke Me and That Man (“Eyes from Nowhere”), Soulfly (“Blood Dance”), and Joy Division (“Typo”), casting an eclectic array of sounds into Mount Gloom to forge ten dangerously fun tracks. Though I liked the album at first listen, it took multiple spins for Songs for Switches’ distilled aesthetic to fully unfurl, and once it did, my appreciation redoubled. With a sinister atmosphere designed as much for pain as pleasure, Black Cross Hotel has readied your room for a night you won’t forget.
Miasmata // Subterrania [October 31st, 2025 – Naturmacht Productions]
Still hawking their distinctive blend of meloblack and heavy metal, Miasmata dropped sophomore platter Subterrania on what was one of the most congested release days of 2025.4 In addition to the recurring influences of Windir (“Die at the Right Time”) and Iron Maiden (the intro to “Subterrania” smacks of The X Factor), Subterrania adds a dollop of thrash into the mix. Opener “Those Who Cross the Flame” struts out with a punky riff that wouldn’t be out of place on an Anthrax record, while “Full of the Devil” tastes as much like Testament or Havok as Diamond Head. The beauty of Miasmata, both on debut Unlight: Songs of Earth and Atrophy and Subterrania, is one-man mastermind Mike Wilson’s aptitude to synthesize a mighty host of influences into a unique sonic palette all his own. As Sharky noted in Unlight’s review, Miasmata has a knack for remarkable restraint. Subterrania clocks under forty minutes, layering slithery riffs upon one another in a way that propels the music in constant motion, shifting and unfolding so organically that the album slips by before you realize it’s over (an especially impressive feat considering the self-titled closer’s near fourteen-minute runtime). If you missed Miasmata’s latest on release day, go rectify that. Don’t let Subterrania get lost to the underground.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Autumnal Anomoly
夢遊病者 // РЛБ300119225 [October 28th, 2025 – Self Release]
As if plucked into lucidity from amidst a hazy, proggy machination, РЛБ30011922 steps into its narrative—an exploration of a beloved figure in its creator’s life, including sound clips describing the trials through which she persisted—with an entrancing stumble. Through an understated math rock lens, tight kit rhythms with a tension-building hi-hat clashes strut against a loud and leading bass voice across 37 minutes of fluid guitar textures. Whether it’s the chunky fusion reminiscent of Hackett-era Gordian Knot, the playful rhythmic post-rock that evokes a band like toe, or the fuzzed-out punctuation that tell a prog tale as ’70s King Crimson would, 夢遊病者, also known as Sleepwalker, makes their love of sound as clear as their love of РЛБ30011922’s inspiration. In a setting this free and detailed, not a single moment of this one-long-song opus passes by without taking a moment to focus on a given performer’s escalation in the drama of the movement. Wielding short guitar solos as segues into popping double-kick trots, spoken word exposition as pedal switch-up opportunities, all leading to a crescendo of bent and bluesy expression, 夢遊病者 succeeds in more than just holding an audience captive with their jammy and heartfelt statement. РЛБ30011922, like the shorter form releases that have graced these halls before, will have you coming back time and time again to explore its sentiments, which feel both traced from a dream yet rooted in rich, earthly tone pleasures.
Saunders’ Slinky Sneaks
Enragement // Extinguish All Existence [October 31st, 2025 – Transcending Obscurity]
The back end of 2025 has thrown down some delightfully vicious, chunkified, and straightforward death metal gems, courtesy of the likes of Depravity, Glorious Depravity and Terror Corpse. Not to be discounted, Finland’s Enragement dropped their own intense slab of brutal death on fourth LP, Extinguish All Existence. Cutting with any pleasantries, Enragement get down to business, slamming through a tight, burly collection of Americanized death, keenly treading a balance between thuggish beatdowns, chest-busting blasts, slammy, pig-squealing grooves, and more traditional, though deceptively diverse brutal death fare. Despite the certifiably crushing formula deployed, there is an air of accessibility, perhaps attributed to the clean but suitably beefy production job, bludgeoning, addictive grooves and sinister currents of atmospheric melody flowing through the album’s riff-centric veins. Thrashy, straightforward bursts of fury are tempered by more technical flourishes and an impressively versatile vocal assault. The likes of Devourment, Deeds of Flesh, Dawn of Demise and Benighted are perhaps fitting reference points, however, Enragement blast their own path of uncompromisingly heavy destruction.
Stephen Brodsky // Cut to the Core Vol. 1 [October 3rd, 2025 – Pax Aeturnum]
There are a couple of ways to broach this latest solo endeavor from lovable rogue and Cave In/Mutoid Man mastermind Stephen Brodsky. Brodsky delivers refreshed interpretations of various ’90s hardcore songs, reimagined in acoustic form. Those familiar with the original compositions will likely have fun dissecting and comparing the original anthems. While others, such as myself, largely unfamiliar with the originals, can enjoy these polished takes in their reimagined form, without comparison. Over the years, I have developed a strong connection with Brodsky’s works and come to appreciate his softer, acoustic flavorings. The likes of Snapcase, Converge, Texas is the Reason, Threadbare and By the Grace of God are some of the acts covered with typical style, zest, and emotion. Brodsky’s expressive and emotive delivery showcases both a loving appreciation of the material and deeper emotional connection that bleeds through the often darker, melancholic vibes of the acoustic constructions. The collection is remarkably consistent and infectious, highlighted by Brodsky’s crisp and soulful acoustic playing and distinctive singing voice on standout cuts, including “Windows” (Snapcase), “Benchwarmer” (Lincoln), “Fissures” (By the Grace of God), “Farewell Note to This City” (Converge), and “Voice” (Sense Field).
Soul Blind // Red Sky Mourning [October 10th, 2025 – Closed Casket Activities]
Riding a familiar wave of early ’00s alt-rock/metal and ’90s grungy nostalgia, New York’s Soul Blind emerge with sophomore LP, Red Sky Mourning. Although they tread dangerously close to overt derivation of prominent influences, including Alice in Chains, Deftones, and Helmet, Soul Blind manage to just stay afloat on their own terms. The dreamy melodies, chunky alt metal riffs, and soaring, Cantrell-esque vocal melodies cultivate some earwormy hooks and fuzzy, 90s/’00s feels. Soul Blind possess a knack for writing textured, mildly sludgy, infectious rock ditties, dabbling in shoegazing atmospherics, and sturdier alt metal territories along the way. Soul Blind relish in AIC inspired earworms (“Dyno,” “Hide Your Evil”), grittier, more aggressive alt metal fare (‘Billy,’ “New York Smoke”) and airy, indie pop-rock (“Thru the Haze”). Soul Blind have work to do to stand out from their influences and develop a more unique sound and robust character. However, the signs are positive for better things to come. Red Sky Mourning is a solid throwback album and handy companion piece to the equally nostalgia-inspired album from Bleed earlier in the year.
#2025 #Acoustic #Adrift #Aggravate #AliceInChains #AmericanMetal #AncientMonumentsAndModernSadness #Ancst #Anthrax #AsTheWorldTreeFell #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackCrossHotel #BlackMetal #Bleed #Bloodgutter #ByTheGraceOfGod #CanadianMetal #CanvasOfSilence #CattleDecapitation #CaveIn #ClosedCasketActivities #Converge #Crust #CutToTheCoreVol1 #DeathMetal #Deftones #Depravity #DiamondHead #DormantOrdeal #EdgewoodArsenalRecords #Enragement #ExtinguishAllExistence #FellOmen #Fellowship #FiadhProductions #FinnishMetal #FuneralDoom #FysiskFormatRecords #GalgerOgBrann #GloriousDepravity #GordianKnot #GrooveMetal #Grunge #HardRock #Hardcore #Havok #HeavyMetal #Helmet #HorrorPainGoreDeathProductions #IndependentRelease #IndustrialMetal #InternationalMetal #IronMaiden #JapaneseMetal #KillingJoke #KingCrimson #Lincoln #MadderMortem #MeAndThatMan #MelodicBlackMetal #Miasmata #Ministry #MutoidMan #MyDyingBride #NapalmDeath #NaturmachtProductions #NewZealandMetal #Nightwish #NorwegianMetal #Oct25 #Oromet #Ossuary #PaxAeternum #PigDestroyer #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveRock #RedSkyMourning #RepulsiveSummoning #Review #Reviews #RockshotsRecords #Rotpit #Sanguisugabogg #ScorchingTomb #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #SenseField #Skitsystem #Snapcase #SomeoddpilotReocrds #SongsForSwitches #SoulBlind #Soulfly #Starer #StephenBrodsky #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #Subterrania #Sutratma #SymphonicMetal #TerrorCorpse #Testament #TexasIsTheReason #TheDarkElement #Theocracy #Threadbare #TimeToKillRecords #toe #Tragedy #TranscendingObsurityRecords #Uaar #ViolentTestimony #Vomitory #Windir #Xaoc #РЛБ30011922 #夢遊病者
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Stuck in the Filter: October 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
They say it’s going to be a harsh winter this year. They always say that, and it’s almost never true, at least not from where I’ve set up camp. However, no matter the weather I am a harsh taskmaster, doling out grueling hours, no pay or benefits, and probably the worst coffee on the planet to my dutiful minions. It takes a special kind of person, motivated by pure unadulterated greed to ravenously scour the filter for dusty, almost-forgotten gems like they do.
But we are thankful for them for being exactly that! And we also benefit, in the form of quality(ish) chunks of glimmery, shimmery metal. BEHOLD!
Kenstrosity’s Riffy Representation
Xaoc // Repulsive Summoning [October 31, 2025 – Edgewood Arsenal Records]
Xaoc’s history is one of the more confusing I’ve encountered in my time writing for this blog. After breaking up in 2008, a new lineup spawned in 2022 to record and release Proxime Mortis from the ashes of songs written pre-breakup, supported by Edgewood Arsenal. At some point this year, two more members spawned in anticipation of this new slab Repulsive Summoning. But the band’s labeled as Split Up already on Metallum? I don’t understand what’s going on there, but at least I can say that Repulsive Summoning is a turbo banger! These riffs are bonkers, full of verve and swagger, brimming with groove and muscularity. A happy mix of Vomitory and Dormant Ordeal, this Virginian outfit know how to throw down. Highlights like “Ave Solva Coagula,” “Antima Samskara,” “The Great Perfected Ones,” and the entire “Degenerate Era” three-part suite reduce my body into a fine slurry by the grinding, vicious power of their riffs alone. But the rabid growls, ballistic percussion, and meaty guitar tones contain more than enough fuel to propel those riffs across this tight and thunderous 35-minute runtime. It’s a simple record, built to beat me down and leave me broken and bloodied, but it’s also an effortlessly memorable affair that leaves me wanting more despite the mounting medical bills. Don’t sleep on Xaoc!
Andy-War-Hall’s Succulent Surplus
Canvas of Silence // As the World Tree Fell [October 31st, 2025 – Rockshots Records]
Finnish symphonic metallers Canvas of Silence describe themselves as “prog-influenced chorus metal,” and that description goes far in outlining their debut As the World Tree Fell. Their core sound resembles a progged-out Nightwish moonlighting as a melodeath band, committing ludicrous bombast on symphonic-heavy cuts like “The Great Unknown” and “Wayfarer” amidst a sharp Gothenburg riff attack in “Watching the World Tree Fall” and “Drown.” Canvas of Silence mete out a balanced approach of light and dark sounds between Theocracyesque prog-power (“One With the Wind,” “Humanimal”) and Madder Mortem-like gothic twists (“Drown,” “Anthem for Ashes”), all reined in by the commanding vocal presence of singer Loimu Satakieli.1 Sitting somewhere between Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish, The Dark Element) and Agnete Kierkevaag (Madder Mortem), her impassioned and heavily-layered singing turns As the World Tree Fell into a smörgåsbord of lush, catchy and anthemic tunes of an uplifting, sing-along nature. Optimism permeates As the World Tree Fell, felt at a fever pitch on the enormous choral bridge of “Humanimal” and the folky power metal jaunt of “One With the Wind.” Even on lyrically dark/mournful passages like “Wayfarer” and “Garden of the Fallen,” Canvas of Silence deliver soaring, hopeful crescendos that at times reach Fellowship levels of good cheer. Canvas of Silence can craft sincerely beautiful moments, and though As the World Tree Fell’s production can be sterile and overly loud2 I am nothing but excited to see what these Finns can cook up next.
Spicie Forrest’s Punky Proferrings
Violent Testimony // Aggravate [October 17th, 2025 – Horror Pain Gore Death Productions]
Do you wish there was more grind in your life? Well, Cheyenne, Wyoming’s Violent Testimony just assumed you would. Combining the punky flair of Napalm Death with the lead foot ethos of early Pig Destroyer and Cattle Decapitation, debut LP Aggravate is 26 minutes of delicious grindy goodness. From the opening salvo of “God Complex Massacre” to the final detonations of “Hit N’ Run,” Violent Testimony shows absolutely no restraint. D.N.’s Gatling drums mow down everything in their path while T.W.’s serpentine bass clears the chaff and flattens any obstruction. Shrapnel propelled by N.Y.’s brutish, breakneck riffing can be seen burying itself in concrete walls, still quivering (“Rider in the Night,” “Psychotic Episode”). Caustic growls and vitriolic screams tear from T.W.’s throat at mach fuck (“Flashbang Celebration,” “Obligatory Manifestation of Infinite Grind”). With only two tracks exceeding the two-minute mark, Violent Testimony screams their piece with as much sound and fury as possible before moving on and picking their next bone with the system. This keeps Aggravate a lean, densely-packed offering. If you need to get pissed off right now and even the fastest death metal is too slow, Violent Testimony is all too happy to decimate the opposition with you.
Uaar // Galger og Brann [October 17th, 2025 – Fysisk Format Records]
Hailing from Oslo, Norway, crust outfit Uaar celebrates their tenth birthday by releasing their debut LP. Galger og Brann, which means “Gallows and Fire” in Norwegian, expands on the foundations laid by established acts like Skitsystem and Tragedy. With one foot firmly planted in black metal and the other in hardcore, Uaar unleashes a cacophony of rage unfettered. D-beats abound, courtesy of Truls Friesl Berg, creating a frantic, enraged atmosphere. Dag Schaug Carlsen’s blackened rasps are so cold they burn, matching the evil pall hanging over tracks like “Galeås” and “Den siste.” Post-flecked, Ancsty tendencies (“Alt Skal Brenne,” “Overalt”) peek through the feral hardcore riffage (“Håpet forsvinner”) of guitarists Erik Berg Friesl and Jon Schaug Carlsen, while bassist Stian S. Evensen provides the muscle to convince you these guys aren’t screwing around. Uaar is well-versed in their base genres, alternating between and mixing black metal and hardcore effortlessly. The occasional blues-tinged heavy metal lead—as in “Overalt” and “Dolken”—keep Galger og Brann from being a one-note affair. With a dearth of standout blackened hardcore releases this year, Uaar’s Galger og Brann is a welcome—if late—addition to the list.
Scorching Tomb // Ossuary [October 24th, 2025 – Time to Kill Records]
I’ll be honest, I’ve never considered Montreal, Canada, to be prime death metal territory. Luckily, Scorching Tomb doesn’t care what I think. Debut LP Ossuary is an aural violation born of Tren-induced hardcore aggression and filthy old school death metal. With a guitar tone (Philippe Lelbanc) like sandpaper and a bass like swallowing gravel (Miguel Lepage), Scorching Tomb plays in the same cesspools as Bloodgutter and Rotpit. We normally associate melted faces with guitar solos, but that honor belongs to whatever corrosive noises issue forth from vocalist Vincent Patrick Lajeunesse’s guts. Drummer Émile Savard loves a blast beat, often detonating them in short bursts to support an already bone-breaking assault (“Feel the Blade”). “Stalagmite3 Impalement” and “Sanctum of Bones (Ossuary)” are particularly savage, with tetanus-inflicting riffs and bloodthirsty screams threatening to drag you into the crypt to be used for meal prep. On “Skullcrush,” Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank perfectly matches Scorching Tomb’s vile depravity, cementing them as a promising new act in the scene. Ossuary is raging, muscle-bound, caveman death metal drowned in a vat of viscera and sewage, and it tastes incredible.
ClarkKent’s Gratifying Goodies
Sutratma // Adrift [October 3rd, 2025 – Self-Release]
While I didn’t purposely seek out more doom during my self-imposed month of picking only doom promos, Sutratma’s fifth full-length, Adrift, ranks as one of the better doom albums I listened to in November. This California four-piece has been writing funeral doom for 15 years, and it shows in their ability to craft effective melancholic slow-burns that strike a balance between melody and crushingly heavy. Adrift impresses straight out the gate with the piano-drenched “Wind and Sea.” This song nicely melds the sorrowful softness of the piano with punishing guitar riffs and impressive growls. Just like stalwarts My Dying Bride, Sutratma mixes growls with cleans, and Daniel Larios’s cleans effectively hit you right in the feels while the growls take on a more despairing note. There’s plenty of variety from song to song, with organs stealing the show on “Guiding Star” and a lovely melody on “The Great Bereaver” that builds up to a moving finale. Just like with Oromet, there’s a serenity to the music that is calming, and the skilled songwriting and musicianship lends a poignancy to it all. With the frenzy of list season upon us, it’s nice to have something like this to remind us that it’s okay to just slow down—even when an angry ape is berating you for more content.
Starer // Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness [October 10th, 2025 – Fiadh Productions]
Josh Hines, the one man behind black metal project, Starer, has been very busy. Since forming Starer in 2020, he has released four EPs and now, with the release of Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness, four LPs. I first became acquainted with this band on 2023’s Wind, Breeze, or Breath and was taken in by Hines’s aggressively atmospheric take on black metal. Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness hits the ground running on “I Cry Your Mother’s Blood” with some aggressively catchy melodies. The aggression continues on “Il-Kantilena” with its icy riffs and pumping blast beats. Meanwhile, “The Field of Reeds” combines the black n’ roll of Fell Omen with the fuzzy reverb of atmoblack for a rollicking good time. Hines screams into the void as subdued symphonics add layers of melody, providing a surprising amount of depth to each song. Because of the frenetic pace, the 50-minute runtime flies right by, even as songs like “Song of the Harper” do their best to vary the tempo. For black metal, the production is lush and gorgeous, giving air to all instruments. The epic, ten-minute finale is the culmination of Hines’s ability to put together complex and compelling music that both excites by its aggression and dazzles with its atmospherics. Black metal fans should not miss this one.
Grin Reaper’s Haunted Harvest
Black Cross Hotel // Songs for Switches [October 31st, 2025 – Someoddpilot Records]
Three years after dropping their favorably reviewed debut Hex, keys-drenched and industrialized outfit Black Cross Hotel returns bearing Songs for Switches. 80s-inspired synths, mid-paced chugs, and dance-ready grooves pack neatly into forty-one minutes of grubby fun, sure to interest fans of Ministry and Killing Joke, or anyone with a predilection for leather. Where Hex boasted a wider assortment of tempos, Songs for Switches narrows its focus to mid-paced songs with a keener emphasis on keyboard melodies. Averting a direction that could have been limiting, Black Cross Hotel smartly sidesteps this by shaving down song lengths and arranging the tracks for optimal pacing. Individual moments across the album evoke Me and That Man (“Eyes from Nowhere”), Soulfly (“Blood Dance”), and Joy Division (“Typo”), casting an eclectic array of sounds into Mount Gloom to forge ten dangerously fun tracks. Though I liked the album at first listen, it took multiple spins for Songs for Switches’ distilled aesthetic to fully unfurl, and once it did, my appreciation redoubled. With a sinister atmosphere designed as much for pain as pleasure, Black Cross Hotel has readied your room for a night you won’t forget.
Miasmata // Subterrania [October 31st, 2025 – Naturmacht Productions]
Still hawking their distinctive blend of meloblack and heavy metal, Miasmata dropped sophomore platter Subterrania on what was one of the most congested release days of 2025.4 In addition to the recurring influences of Windir (“Die at the Right Time”) and Iron Maiden (the intro to “Subterrania” smacks of The X Factor), Subterrania adds a dollop of thrash into the mix. Opener “Those Who Cross the Flame” struts out with a punky riff that wouldn’t be out of place on an Anthrax record, while “Full of the Devil” tastes as much like Testament or Havok as Diamond Head. The beauty of Miasmata, both on debut Unlight: Songs of Earth and Atrophy and Subterrania, is one-man mastermind Mike Wilson’s aptitude to synthesize a mighty host of influences into a unique sonic palette all his own. As Sharky noted in Unlight’s review, Miasmata has a knack for remarkable restraint. Subterrania clocks under forty minutes, layering slithery riffs upon one another in a way that propels the music in constant motion, shifting and unfolding so organically that the album slips by before you realize it’s over (an especially impressive feat considering the self-titled closer’s near fourteen-minute runtime). If you missed Miasmata’s latest on release day, go rectify that. Don’t let Subterrania get lost to the underground.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Autumnal Anomoly
夢遊病者 // РЛБ300119225 [October 28th, 2025 – Self Release]
As if plucked into lucidity from amidst a hazy, proggy machination, РЛБ30011922 steps into its narrative—an exploration of a beloved figure in its creator’s life, including sound clips describing the trials through which she persisted—with an entrancing stumble. Through an understated math rock lens, tight kit rhythms with a tension-building hi-hat clashes strut against a loud and leading bass voice across 37 minutes of fluid guitar textures. Whether it’s the chunky fusion reminiscent of Hackett-era Gordian Knot, the playful rhythmic post-rock that evokes a band like toe, or the fuzzed-out punctuation that tell a prog tale as ’70s King Crimson would, 夢遊病者, also known as Sleepwalker, makes their love of sound as clear as their love of РЛБ30011922’s inspiration. In a setting this free and detailed, not a single moment of this one-long-song opus passes by without taking a moment to focus on a given performer’s escalation in the drama of the movement. Wielding short guitar solos as segues into popping double-kick trots, spoken word exposition as pedal switch-up opportunities, all leading to a crescendo of bent and bluesy expression, 夢遊病者 succeeds in more than just holding an audience captive with their jammy and heartfelt statement. РЛБ30011922, like the shorter form releases that have graced these halls before, will have you coming back time and time again to explore its sentiments, which feel both traced from a dream yet rooted in rich, earthly tone pleasures.
Saunders’ Slinky Sneaks
Enragement // Extinguish All Existence [October 31st, 2025 – Transcending Obscurity]
The back end of 2025 has thrown down some delightfully vicious, chunkified, and straightforward death metal gems, courtesy of the likes of Depravity, Glorious Depravity and Terror Corpse. Not to be discounted, Finland’s Enragement dropped their own intense slab of brutal death on fourth LP, Extinguish All Existence. Cutting with any pleasantries, Enragement get down to business, slamming through a tight, burly collection of Americanized death, keenly treading a balance between thuggish beatdowns, chest-busting blasts, slammy, pig-squealing grooves, and more traditional, though deceptively diverse brutal death fare. Despite the certifiably crushing formula deployed, there is an air of accessibility, perhaps attributed to the clean but suitably beefy production job, bludgeoning, addictive grooves and sinister currents of atmospheric melody flowing through the album’s riff-centric veins. Thrashy, straightforward bursts of fury are tempered by more technical flourishes and an impressively versatile vocal assault. The likes of Devourment, Deeds of Flesh, Dawn of Demise and Benighted are perhaps fitting reference points, however, Enragement blast their own path of uncompromisingly heavy destruction.
Stephen Brodsky // Cut to the Core Vol. 1 [October 3rd, 2025 – Pax Aeturnum]
There are a couple of ways to broach this latest solo endeavor from lovable rogue and Cave In/Mutoid Man mastermind Stephen Brodsky. Brodsky delivers refreshed interpretations of various ’90s hardcore songs, reimagined in acoustic form. Those familiar with the original compositions will likely have fun dissecting and comparing the original anthems. While others, such as myself, largely unfamiliar with the originals, can enjoy these polished takes in their reimagined form, without comparison. Over the years, I have developed a strong connection with Brodsky’s works and come to appreciate his softer, acoustic flavorings. The likes of Snapcase, Converge, Texas is the Reason, Threadbare and By the Grace of God are some of the acts covered with typical style, zest, and emotion. Brodsky’s expressive and emotive delivery showcases both a loving appreciation of the material and deeper emotional connection that bleeds through the often darker, melancholic vibes of the acoustic constructions. The collection is remarkably consistent and infectious, highlighted by Brodsky’s crisp and soulful acoustic playing and distinctive singing voice on standout cuts, including “Windows” (Snapcase), “Benchwarmer” (Lincoln), “Fissures” (By the Grace of God), “Farewell Note to This City” (Converge), and “Voice” (Sense Field).
Soul Blind // Red Sky Mourning [October 10th, 2025 – Closed Casket Activities]
Riding a familiar wave of early ’00s alt-rock/metal and ’90s grungy nostalgia, New York’s Soul Blind emerge with sophomore LP, Red Sky Mourning. Although they tread dangerously close to overt derivation of prominent influences, including Alice in Chains, Deftones, and Helmet, Soul Blind manage to just stay afloat on their own terms. The dreamy melodies, chunky alt metal riffs, and soaring, Cantrell-esque vocal melodies cultivate some earwormy hooks and fuzzy, 90s/’00s feels. Soul Blind possess a knack for writing textured, mildly sludgy, infectious rock ditties, dabbling in shoegazing atmospherics, and sturdier alt metal territories along the way. Soul Blind relish in AIC inspired earworms (“Dyno,” “Hide Your Evil”), grittier, more aggressive alt metal fare (‘Billy,’ “New York Smoke”) and airy, indie pop-rock (“Thru the Haze”). Soul Blind have work to do to stand out from their influences and develop a more unique sound and robust character. However, the signs are positive for better things to come. Red Sky Mourning is a solid throwback album and handy companion piece to the equally nostalgia-inspired album from Bleed earlier in the year.
#2025 #Acoustic #Adrift #Aggravate #AliceInChains #AmericanMetal #AncientMonumentsAndModernSadness #Ancst #Anthrax #AsTheWorldTreeFell #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackCrossHotel #BlackMetal #Bleed #Bloodgutter #ByTheGraceOfGod #CanadianMetal #CanvasOfSilence #CattleDecapitation #CaveIn #ClosedCasketActivities #Converge #Crust #CutToTheCoreVol1 #DeathMetal #Deftones #Depravity #DiamondHead #DormantOrdeal #EdgewoodArsenalRecords #Enragement #ExtinguishAllExistence #FellOmen #Fellowship #FiadhProductions #FinnishMetal #FuneralDoom #FysiskFormatRecords #GalgerOgBrann #GloriousDepravity #GordianKnot #GrooveMetal #Grunge #HardRock #Hardcore #Havok #HeavyMetal #Helmet #HorrorPainGoreDeathProductions #IndependentRelease #IndustrialMetal #InternationalMetal #IronMaiden #JapaneseMetal #KillingJoke #KingCrimson #Lincoln #MadderMortem #MeAndThatMan #MelodicBlackMetal #Miasmata #Ministry #MutoidMan #MyDyingBride #NapalmDeath #NaturmachtProductions #NewZealandMetal #Nightwish #NorwegianMetal #Oct25 #Oromet #Ossuary #PaxAeternum #PigDestroyer #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveRock #RedSkyMourning #RepulsiveSummoning #Review #Reviews #RockshotsRecords #Rotpit #Sanguisugabogg #ScorchingTomb #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #SenseField #Skitsystem #Snapcase #SomeoddpilotReocrds #SongsForSwitches #SoulBlind #Soulfly #Starer #StephenBrodsky #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #Subterrania #Sutratma #SymphonicMetal #TerrorCorpse #Testament #TexasIsTheReason #TheDarkElement #Theocracy #Threadbare #TimeToKillRecords #toe #Tragedy #TranscendingObsurityRecords #Uaar #ViolentTestimony #Vomitory #Windir #Xaoc #РЛБ30011922 #夢遊病者
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Stuck in the Filter: October 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
They say it’s going to be a harsh winter this year. They always say that, and it’s almost never true, at least not from where I’ve set up camp. However, no matter the weather I am a harsh taskmaster, doling out grueling hours, no pay or benefits, and probably the worst coffee on the planet to my dutiful minions. It takes a special kind of person, motivated by pure unadulterated greed to ravenously scour the filter for dusty, almost-forgotten gems like they do.
But we are thankful for them for being exactly that! And we also benefit, in the form of quality(ish) chunks of glimmery, shimmery metal. BEHOLD!
Kenstrosity’s Riffy Representation
Xaoc // Repulsive Summoning [October 31, 2025 – Edgewood Arsenal Records]
Xaoc’s history is one of the more confusing I’ve encountered in my time writing for this blog. After breaking up in 2008, a new lineup spawned in 2022 to record and release Proxime Mortis from the ashes of songs written pre-breakup, supported by Edgewood Arsenal. At some point this year, two more members spawned in anticipation of this new slab Repulsive Summoning. But the band’s labeled as Split Up already on Metallum? I don’t understand what’s going on there, but at least I can say that Repulsive Summoning is a turbo banger! These riffs are bonkers, full of verve and swagger, brimming with groove and muscularity. A happy mix of Vomitory and Dormant Ordeal, this Virginian outfit know how to throw down. Highlights like “Ave Solva Coagula,” “Antima Samskara,” “The Great Perfected Ones,” and the entire “Degenerate Era” three-part suite reduce my body into a fine slurry by the grinding, vicious power of their riffs alone. But the rabid growls, ballistic percussion, and meaty guitar tones contain more than enough fuel to propel those riffs across this tight and thunderous 35-minute runtime. It’s a simple record, built to beat me down and leave me broken and bloodied, but it’s also an effortlessly memorable affair that leaves me wanting more despite the mounting medical bills. Don’t sleep on Xaoc!
Andy-War-Hall’s Succulent Surplus
Canvas of Silence // As the World Tree Fell [October 31st, 2025 – Rockshots Records]
Finnish symphonic metallers Canvas of Silence describe themselves as “prog-influenced chorus metal,” and that description goes far in outlining their debut As the World Tree Fell. Their core sound resembles a progged-out Nightwish moonlighting as a melodeath band, committing ludicrous bombast on symphonic-heavy cuts like “The Great Unknown” and “Wayfarer” amidst a sharp Gothenburg riff attack in “Watching the World Tree Fall” and “Drown.” Canvas of Silence mete out a balanced approach of light and dark sounds between Theocracyesque prog-power (“One With the Wind,” “Humanimal”) and Madder Mortem-like gothic twists (“Drown,” “Anthem for Ashes”), all reined in by the commanding vocal presence of singer Loimu Satakieli.1 Sitting somewhere between Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish, The Dark Element) and Agnete Kierkevaag (Madder Mortem), her impassioned and heavily-layered singing turns As the World Tree Fell into a smörgåsbord of lush, catchy and anthemic tunes of an uplifting, sing-along nature. Optimism permeates As the World Tree Fell, felt at a fever pitch on the enormous choral bridge of “Humanimal” and the folky power metal jaunt of “One With the Wind.” Even on lyrically dark/mournful passages like “Wayfarer” and “Garden of the Fallen,” Canvas of Silence deliver soaring, hopeful crescendos that at times reach Fellowship levels of good cheer. Canvas of Silence can craft sincerely beautiful moments, and though As the World Tree Fell’s production can be sterile and overly loud2 I am nothing but excited to see what these Finns can cook up next.
Spicie Forrest’s Punky Proferrings
Violent Testimony // Aggravate [October 17th, 2025 – Horror Pain Gore Death Productions]
Do you wish there was more grind in your life? Well, Cheyenne, Wyoming’s Violent Testimony just assumed you would. Combining the punky flair of Napalm Death with the lead foot ethos of early Pig Destroyer and Cattle Decapitation, debut LP Aggravate is 26 minutes of delicious grindy goodness. From the opening salvo of “God Complex Massacre” to the final detonations of “Hit N’ Run,” Violent Testimony shows absolutely no restraint. D.N.’s Gatling drums mow down everything in their path while T.W.’s serpentine bass clears the chaff and flattens any obstruction. Shrapnel propelled by N.Y.’s brutish, breakneck riffing can be seen burying itself in concrete walls, still quivering (“Rider in the Night,” “Psychotic Episode”). Caustic growls and vitriolic screams tear from T.W.’s throat at mach fuck (“Flashbang Celebration,” “Obligatory Manifestation of Infinite Grind”). With only two tracks exceeding the two-minute mark, Violent Testimony screams their piece with as much sound and fury as possible before moving on and picking their next bone with the system. This keeps Aggravate a lean, densely-packed offering. If you need to get pissed off right now and even the fastest death metal is too slow, Violent Testimony is all too happy to decimate the opposition with you.
Uaar // Galger og Brann [October 17th, 2025 – Fysisk Format Records]
Hailing from Oslo, Norway, crust outfit Uaar celebrates their tenth birthday by releasing their debut LP. Galger og Brann, which means “Gallows and Fire” in Norwegian, expands on the foundations laid by established acts like Skitsystem and Tragedy. With one foot firmly planted in black metal and the other in hardcore, Uaar unleashes a cacophony of rage unfettered. D-beats abound, courtesy of Truls Friesl Berg, creating a frantic, enraged atmosphere. Dag Schaug Carlsen’s blackened rasps are so cold they burn, matching the evil pall hanging over tracks like “Galeås” and “Den siste.” Post-flecked, Ancsty tendencies (“Alt Skal Brenne,” “Overalt”) peek through the feral hardcore riffage (“Håpet forsvinner”) of guitarists Erik Berg Friesl and Jon Schaug Carlsen, while bassist Stian S. Evensen provides the muscle to convince you these guys aren’t screwing around. Uaar is well-versed in their base genres, alternating between and mixing black metal and hardcore effortlessly. The occasional blues-tinged heavy metal lead—as in “Overalt” and “Dolken”—keep Galger og Brann from being a one-note affair. With a dearth of standout blackened hardcore releases this year, Uaar’s Galger og Brann is a welcome—if late—addition to the list.
Scorching Tomb // Ossuary [October 24th, 2025 – Time to Kill Records]
I’ll be honest, I’ve never considered Montreal, Canada, to be prime death metal territory. Luckily, Scorching Tomb doesn’t care what I think. Debut LP Ossuary is an aural violation born of Tren-induced hardcore aggression and filthy old school death metal. With a guitar tone (Philippe Lelbanc) like sandpaper and a bass like swallowing gravel (Miguel Lepage), Scorching Tomb plays in the same cesspools as Bloodgutter and Rotpit. We normally associate melted faces with guitar solos, but that honor belongs to whatever corrosive noises issue forth from vocalist Vincent Patrick Lajeunesse’s guts. Drummer Émile Savard loves a blast beat, often detonating them in short bursts to support an already bone-breaking assault (“Feel the Blade”). “Stalagmite3 Impalement” and “Sanctum of Bones (Ossuary)” are particularly savage, with tetanus-inflicting riffs and bloodthirsty screams threatening to drag you into the crypt to be used for meal prep. On “Skullcrush,” Sanguisugabogg’s Devin Swank perfectly matches Scorching Tomb’s vile depravity, cementing them as a promising new act in the scene. Ossuary is raging, muscle-bound, caveman death metal drowned in a vat of viscera and sewage, and it tastes incredible.
ClarkKent’s Gratifying Goodies
Sutratma // Adrift [October 3rd, 2025 – Self-Release]
While I didn’t purposely seek out more doom during my self-imposed month of picking only doom promos, Sutratma’s fifth full-length, Adrift, ranks as one of the better doom albums I listened to in November. This California four-piece has been writing funeral doom for 15 years, and it shows in their ability to craft effective melancholic slow-burns that strike a balance between melody and crushingly heavy. Adrift impresses straight out the gate with the piano-drenched “Wind and Sea.” This song nicely melds the sorrowful softness of the piano with punishing guitar riffs and impressive growls. Just like stalwarts My Dying Bride, Sutratma mixes growls with cleans, and Daniel Larios’s cleans effectively hit you right in the feels while the growls take on a more despairing note. There’s plenty of variety from song to song, with organs stealing the show on “Guiding Star” and a lovely melody on “The Great Bereaver” that builds up to a moving finale. Just like with Oromet, there’s a serenity to the music that is calming, and the skilled songwriting and musicianship lends a poignancy to it all. With the frenzy of list season upon us, it’s nice to have something like this to remind us that it’s okay to just slow down—even when an angry ape is berating you for more content.
Starer // Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness [October 10th, 2025 – Fiadh Productions]
Josh Hines, the one man behind black metal project, Starer, has been very busy. Since forming Starer in 2020, he has released four EPs and now, with the release of Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness, four LPs. I first became acquainted with this band on 2023’s Wind, Breeze, or Breath and was taken in by Hines’s aggressively atmospheric take on black metal. Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness hits the ground running on “I Cry Your Mother’s Blood” with some aggressively catchy melodies. The aggression continues on “Il-Kantilena” with its icy riffs and pumping blast beats. Meanwhile, “The Field of Reeds” combines the black n’ roll of Fell Omen with the fuzzy reverb of atmoblack for a rollicking good time. Hines screams into the void as subdued symphonics add layers of melody, providing a surprising amount of depth to each song. Because of the frenetic pace, the 50-minute runtime flies right by, even as songs like “Song of the Harper” do their best to vary the tempo. For black metal, the production is lush and gorgeous, giving air to all instruments. The epic, ten-minute finale is the culmination of Hines’s ability to put together complex and compelling music that both excites by its aggression and dazzles with its atmospherics. Black metal fans should not miss this one.
Grin Reaper’s Haunted Harvest
Black Cross Hotel // Songs for Switches [October 31st, 2025 – Someoddpilot Records]
Three years after dropping their favorably reviewed debut Hex, keys-drenched and industrialized outfit Black Cross Hotel returns bearing Songs for Switches. 80s-inspired synths, mid-paced chugs, and dance-ready grooves pack neatly into forty-one minutes of grubby fun, sure to interest fans of Ministry and Killing Joke, or anyone with a predilection for leather. Where Hex boasted a wider assortment of tempos, Songs for Switches narrows its focus to mid-paced songs with a keener emphasis on keyboard melodies. Averting a direction that could have been limiting, Black Cross Hotel smartly sidesteps this by shaving down song lengths and arranging the tracks for optimal pacing. Individual moments across the album evoke Me and That Man (“Eyes from Nowhere”), Soulfly (“Blood Dance”), and Joy Division (“Typo”), casting an eclectic array of sounds into Mount Gloom to forge ten dangerously fun tracks. Though I liked the album at first listen, it took multiple spins for Songs for Switches’ distilled aesthetic to fully unfurl, and once it did, my appreciation redoubled. With a sinister atmosphere designed as much for pain as pleasure, Black Cross Hotel has readied your room for a night you won’t forget.
Miasmata // Subterrania [October 31st, 2025 – Naturmacht Productions]
Still hawking their distinctive blend of meloblack and heavy metal, Miasmata dropped sophomore platter Subterrania on what was one of the most congested release days of 2025.4 In addition to the recurring influences of Windir (“Die at the Right Time”) and Iron Maiden (the intro to “Subterrania” smacks of The X Factor), Subterrania adds a dollop of thrash into the mix. Opener “Those Who Cross the Flame” struts out with a punky riff that wouldn’t be out of place on an Anthrax record, while “Full of the Devil” tastes as much like Testament or Havok as Diamond Head. The beauty of Miasmata, both on debut Unlight: Songs of Earth and Atrophy and Subterrania, is one-man mastermind Mike Wilson’s aptitude to synthesize a mighty host of influences into a unique sonic palette all his own. As Sharky noted in Unlight’s review, Miasmata has a knack for remarkable restraint. Subterrania clocks under forty minutes, layering slithery riffs upon one another in a way that propels the music in constant motion, shifting and unfolding so organically that the album slips by before you realize it’s over (an especially impressive feat considering the self-titled closer’s near fourteen-minute runtime). If you missed Miasmata’s latest on release day, go rectify that. Don’t let Subterrania get lost to the underground.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Autumnal Anomoly
夢遊病者 // РЛБ300119225 [October 28th, 2025 – Self Release]
As if plucked into lucidity from amidst a hazy, proggy machination, РЛБ30011922 steps into its narrative—an exploration of a beloved figure in its creator’s life, including sound clips describing the trials through which she persisted—with an entrancing stumble. Through an understated math rock lens, tight kit rhythms with a tension-building hi-hat clashes strut against a loud and leading bass voice across 37 minutes of fluid guitar textures. Whether it’s the chunky fusion reminiscent of Hackett-era Gordian Knot, the playful rhythmic post-rock that evokes a band like toe, or the fuzzed-out punctuation that tell a prog tale as ’70s King Crimson would, 夢遊病者, also known as Sleepwalker, makes their love of sound as clear as their love of РЛБ30011922’s inspiration. In a setting this free and detailed, not a single moment of this one-long-song opus passes by without taking a moment to focus on a given performer’s escalation in the drama of the movement. Wielding short guitar solos as segues into popping double-kick trots, spoken word exposition as pedal switch-up opportunities, all leading to a crescendo of bent and bluesy expression, 夢遊病者 succeeds in more than just holding an audience captive with their jammy and heartfelt statement. РЛБ30011922, like the shorter form releases that have graced these halls before, will have you coming back time and time again to explore its sentiments, which feel both traced from a dream yet rooted in rich, earthly tone pleasures.
Saunders’ Slinky Sneaks
Enragement // Extinguish All Existence [October 31st, 2025 – Transcending Obscurity]
The back end of 2025 has thrown down some delightfully vicious, chunkified, and straightforward death metal gems, courtesy of the likes of Depravity, Glorious Depravity and Terror Corpse. Not to be discounted, Finland’s Enragement dropped their own intense slab of brutal death on fourth LP, Extinguish All Existence. Cutting with any pleasantries, Enragement get down to business, slamming through a tight, burly collection of Americanized death, keenly treading a balance between thuggish beatdowns, chest-busting blasts, slammy, pig-squealing grooves, and more traditional, though deceptively diverse brutal death fare. Despite the certifiably crushing formula deployed, there is an air of accessibility, perhaps attributed to the clean but suitably beefy production job, bludgeoning, addictive grooves and sinister currents of atmospheric melody flowing through the album’s riff-centric veins. Thrashy, straightforward bursts of fury are tempered by more technical flourishes and an impressively versatile vocal assault. The likes of Devourment, Deeds of Flesh, Dawn of Demise and Benighted are perhaps fitting reference points, however, Enragement blast their own path of uncompromisingly heavy destruction.
Stephen Brodsky // Cut to the Core Vol. 1 [October 3rd, 2025 – Pax Aeturnum]
There are a couple of ways to broach this latest solo endeavor from lovable rogue and Cave In/Mutoid Man mastermind Stephen Brodsky. Brodsky delivers refreshed interpretations of various ’90s hardcore songs, reimagined in acoustic form. Those familiar with the original compositions will likely have fun dissecting and comparing the original anthems. While others, such as myself, largely unfamiliar with the originals, can enjoy these polished takes in their reimagined form, without comparison. Over the years, I have developed a strong connection with Brodsky’s works and come to appreciate his softer, acoustic flavorings. The likes of Snapcase, Converge, Texas is the Reason, Threadbare and By the Grace of God are some of the acts covered with typical style, zest, and emotion. Brodsky’s expressive and emotive delivery showcases both a loving appreciation of the material and deeper emotional connection that bleeds through the often darker, melancholic vibes of the acoustic constructions. The collection is remarkably consistent and infectious, highlighted by Brodsky’s crisp and soulful acoustic playing and distinctive singing voice on standout cuts, including “Windows” (Snapcase), “Benchwarmer” (Lincoln), “Fissures” (By the Grace of God), “Farewell Note to This City” (Converge), and “Voice” (Sense Field).
Soul Blind // Red Sky Mourning [October 10th, 2025 – Closed Casket Activities]
Riding a familiar wave of early ’00s alt-rock/metal and ’90s grungy nostalgia, New York’s Soul Blind emerge with sophomore LP, Red Sky Mourning. Although they tread dangerously close to overt derivation of prominent influences, including Alice in Chains, Deftones, and Helmet, Soul Blind manage to just stay afloat on their own terms. The dreamy melodies, chunky alt metal riffs, and soaring, Cantrell-esque vocal melodies cultivate some earwormy hooks and fuzzy, 90s/’00s feels. Soul Blind possess a knack for writing textured, mildly sludgy, infectious rock ditties, dabbling in shoegazing atmospherics, and sturdier alt metal territories along the way. Soul Blind relish in AIC inspired earworms (“Dyno,” “Hide Your Evil”), grittier, more aggressive alt metal fare (‘Billy,’ “New York Smoke”) and airy, indie pop-rock (“Thru the Haze”). Soul Blind have work to do to stand out from their influences and develop a more unique sound and robust character. However, the signs are positive for better things to come. Red Sky Mourning is a solid throwback album and handy companion piece to the equally nostalgia-inspired album from Bleed earlier in the year.
Show 5 footnotes
- Who has since left the band following this album’s recording over creative differences, now replaced by Aino Vuorenmaa ↩
- Ironic, Canvas of Silence. ↩
- Stalagmites are the ones on the ground. ↩
- Which included two of my top ten albums of the year. ↩
- You may have noticed this link is an Ampwall link. Still haven’t heard of Ampwall, a music e-commerce hub built by members of Woe as an alternative experience to Bandcamp? Vowing to maintain an artist-first and community-influenced direction, Ampwall holds a lot of promise to the musical underground.. Check it out! ↩
#2025 #Acoustic #Adrift #Aggravate #AliceInChains #AmericanMetal #AncientMonumentsAndModernSadness #Ancst #Anthrax #AsTheWorldTreeFell #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackCrossHotel #BlackMetal #Bleed #Bloodgutter #ByTheGraceOfGod #CanadianMetal #CanvasOfSilence #CattleDecapitation #CaveIn #ClosedCasketActivities #Converge #Crust #CutToTheCoreVol1 #DeathMetal #Deftones #Depravity #DiamondHead #DormantOrdeal #EdgewoodArsenalRecords #Enragement #ExtinguishAllExistence #FellOmen #Fellowship #FiadhProductions #FinnishMetal #FuneralDoom #FysiskFormatRecords #GalgerOgBrann #GloriousDepravity #GordianKnot #GrooveMetal #Grunge #HardRock #Hardcore #Havok #HeavyMetal #Helmet #HorrorPainGoreDeathProductions #IndependentRelease #IndustrialMetal #InternationalMetal #IronMaiden #JapaneseMetal #KillingJoke #KingCrimson #Lincoln #MadderMortem #MeAndThatMan #MelodicBlackMetal #Miasmata #Ministry #MutoidMan #MyDyingBride #NapalmDeath #NaturmachtProductions #NewZealandMetal #Nightwish #NorwegianMetal #Oct25 #Oromet #Ossuary #PaxAeternum #PigDestroyer #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveRock #RedSkyMourning #RepulsiveSummoning #Review #Reviews #RockshotsRecords #Rotpit #Sanguisugabogg #ScorchingTomb #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #SenseField #Skitsystem #Snapcase #SomeoddpilotReocrds #SongsForSwitches #SoulBlind #Soulfly #Starer #StephenBrodsky #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #Subterrania #Sutratma #SymphonicMetal #TerrorCorpse #Testament #TexasIsTheReason #TheDarkElement #Theocracy #Threadbare #TimeToKillRecords #toe #Tragedy #TranscendingObsurityRecords #Uaar #ViolentTestimony #Vomitory #Windir #Xaoc #РЛБ30011922 #夢遊病者
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Glorious Depravity – Death Never Sleeps Review
By Steel Druhm
Death metal from New York City is usually plenty ugly enough, but in the strange case of Glorious Depravity, things get even more grotesque due to the band members’ connection to acts like Pyrrhon and Woe. Their 2020 debut Ageless Violence was a solid if non-essential homage to the Godz of Floridan Death with plenty of Morbid Angel and Deicide DNA in its unnatural makeup. Five years later, they serve up Death Never Sleeps with a sound profile still wearing Orlando-friendly cargo shorts, and hidden in those oversized pockets are elements of grindcore. This is ugly, slimy death for fugly, unwashed folks who throw empty beer cans at meth heads for cheap thrills. The only thing remotely classy about it is the badass cover art from Dan Seagrave, and that’s just fine by me. I’m not here to attend Finishing School or my court-mandated Anger Management workshop. I’m here to blast death metal and scare the normies, and so is Glorious Depravity. Twinsies!
The Depravity Boys come out hard on opener “Slaughter the Gerontocrats” with feverish riffs ripping skin and pasting bones as Pyrrhon’s Doug Moore vomits a world full of hate and venom on the listener. Some of the leads reek of vintage Mordid Angel, but this is more unhinged and closer to grind and even slam at times. Moore uncorks some truly rancid garbage disposal voKILLS and piercing shrieks, making this like an insane asylum in a hobo wine bottle. Things go a bit wonky on follow-up “Stripmined Flesh Extractor” with an awkward shuffling tempo that doesn’t fully work, thus squandering some of the crucial momentum created by the opener. From there, it’s a back and forth between well-executed death that hammer smashes your face and lesser cuts that have good moments but don’t disembowel you as they should. “Sulfurous Winds (Howling Through Christendom)” is a wild ride through the tombs where Morbid Angel buried their unused (and well-used) riffs, and Moore’s repeated roars about “SCIENCE” are fun in an old school Thomas Dolby way.1 “Scourged by the Wings of the Fell Destroyer” is also fine and dandy, hitting in that 1990 Floridan death way but with overtones of Kataklysm due to the screeching vocals.
My favorite moment arrives with “Necrobiotic Enslavement,” where the Morbid influence is especially notable in the heaving, lurching riffs that reek of overflowing ash Treys. While the good parts of Death Never Sleeps are respectable and entertaining, nothing here will completely blow your mind, and the lesser bits are Debbie Downers. “Freshkills Poltergeist” shoehorns in pinch harmonics that are more annoying than interesting, and “Carnage at the Margins” gets very screamy and ends up grating the nerves instead of power drilling the Medusa Oblongata. You end up with an album of mostly solid death with generic and underwhelming additions tacked on, which is disappointing for a band with the pedigree Glorious Depravity bring to the Geneology Council.
I’ll give Doug Moore props for his batshit crazy vocal performance. The guy is all over the lot with screams, shrieks, sub-basement gurgles, and standard death barks. He can do it all and proves it on every track, whether it’s needed or not. Sometimes he’s a dead ringer for Kataklysm’s Maurizio Iacono, and occasionally he sounds like young Mille of Kreator infamy. George Paul (Gravesend) and Matt Mewton (Woe) resurrect many riffs from the place where the slime live, and though it’s easy to spot their inspirations, I can’t fault much of what they throw down on the slab. There are a goodly number of face-melting leads and some completely insane solo pieces, too. Chris Grigg (Woe) brings a technical yet brutal force to the kit, pounding away like his life depends on it. The band is talented, but the writing sometimes lacks staying power and leans generic. At a tight 34 minutes, a lot of that can be forgiven as the good replaces the okay in short and savage order, but the lesser additions do drag the overall enjoyment factor down a few pegs.
Glorious Depravity gives a bunch of New York low-life bastards a chance to do things outside the lines of what their main gigs allow, and you can tell they’re having fun throwing shit against the subway wall. There’s nothing essential or “must hear” present, but it’s solid ratmeat and scumtaters for the diseased, and that may be enough for those fiends.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Websites: facebook.com/gloriousdepravity | instagram.com/gloriousdepravity
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025#2025 #30 #AgelessViolence #AmericanMetal #DeathMetal #DeathNeverSleeps #Deicide #GloriousDepravity #Gravesend #MorbidAngel #Nov25 #Pyrrhon #Review #Reviews #TranscendingObscurityRecords #Woe
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Glorious Depravity – Death Never Sleeps Review
By Steel Druhm
Death metal from New York City is usually plenty ugly enough, but in the strange case of Glorious Depravity, things get even more grotesque due to the band members’ connection to acts like Pyrrhon and Woe. Their 2020 debut Ageless Violence was a solid if non-essential homage to the Godz of Floridan Death with plenty of Morbid Angel and Deicide DNA in its unnatural makeup. Five years later, they serve up Death Never Sleeps with a sound profile still wearing Orlando-friendly cargo shorts, and hidden in those oversized pockets are elements of grindcore. This is ugly, slimy death for fugly, unwashed folks who throw empty beer cans at meth heads for cheap thrills. The only thing remotely classy about it is the badass cover art from Dan Seagrave, and that’s just fine by me. I’m not here to attend Finishing School or my court-mandated Anger Management workshop. I’m here to blast death metal and scare the normies, and so is Glorious Depravity. Twinsies!
The Depravity Boys come out hard on opener “Slaughter the Gerontocrats” with feverish riffs ripping skin and pasting bones as Pyrrhon’s Doug Moore vomits a world full of hate and venom on the listener. Some of the leads reek of vintage Mordid Angel, but this is more unhinged and closer to grind and even slam at times. Moore uncorks some truly rancid garbage disposal voKILLS and piercing shrieks, making this like an insane asylum in a hobo wine bottle. Things go a bit wonky on follow-up “Stripmined Flesh Extractor” with an awkward shuffling tempo that doesn’t fully work, thus squandering some of the crucial momentum created by the opener. From there, it’s a back and forth between well-executed death that hammer smashes your face and lesser cuts that have good moments but don’t disembowel you as they should. “Sulfurous Winds (Howling Through Christendom)” is a wild ride through the tombs where Morbid Angel buried their unused (and well-used) riffs, and Moore’s repeated roars about “SCIENCE” are fun in an old school Thomas Dolby way.1 “Scourged by the Wings of the Fell Destroyer” is also fine and dandy, hitting in that 1990 Floridan death way but with overtones of Kataklysm due to the screeching vocals.
My favorite moment arrives with “Necrobiotic Enslavement,” where the Morbid influence is especially notable in the heaving, lurching riffs that reek of overflowing ash Treys. While the good parts of Death Never Sleeps are respectable and entertaining, nothing here will completely blow your mind, and the lesser bits are Debbie Downers. “Freshkills Poltergeist” shoehorns in pinch harmonics that are more annoying than interesting, and “Carnage at the Margins” gets very screamy and ends up grating the nerves instead of power drilling the Medusa Oblongata. You end up with an album of mostly solid death with generic and underwhelming additions tacked on, which is disappointing for a band with the pedigree Glorious Depravity bring to the Geneology Council.
I’ll give Doug Moore props for his batshit crazy vocal performance. The guy is all over the lot with screams, shrieks, sub-basement gurgles, and standard death barks. He can do it all and proves it on every track, whether it’s needed or not. Sometimes he’s a dead ringer for Kataklysm’s Maurizio Iacono, and occasionally he sounds like young Mille of Kreator infamy. George Paul (Gravesend) and Matt Mewton (Woe) resurrect many riffs from the place where the slime live, and though it’s easy to spot their inspirations, I can’t fault much of what they throw down on the slab. There are a goodly number of face-melting leads and some completely insane solo pieces, too. Chris Grigg (Woe) brings a technical yet brutal force to the kit, pounding away like his life depends on it. The band is talented, but the writing sometimes lacks staying power and leans generic. At a tight 34 minutes, a lot of that can be forgiven as the good replaces the okay in short and savage order, but the lesser additions do drag the overall enjoyment factor down a few pegs.
Glorious Depravity gives a bunch of New York low-life bastards a chance to do things outside the lines of what their main gigs allow, and you can tell they’re having fun throwing shit against the subway wall. There’s nothing essential or “must hear” present, but it’s solid ratmeat and scumtaters for the diseased, and that may be enough for those fiends.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Websites: facebook.com/gloriousdepravity | instagram.com/gloriousdepravity
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025#2025 #30 #AgelessViolence #AmericanMetal #DeathMetal #DeathNeverSleeps #Deicide #GloriousDepravity #Gravesend #MorbidAngel #Nov25 #Pyrrhon #Review #Reviews #TranscendingObscurityRecords #Woe
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Glorious Depravity – Death Never Sleeps Review
By Steel Druhm
Death metal from New York City is usually plenty ugly enough, but in the strange case of Glorious Depravity, things get even more grotesque due to the band members’ connection to acts like Pyrrhon and Woe. Their 2020 debut Ageless Violence was a solid if non-essential homage to the Godz of Floridan Death with plenty of Morbid Angel and Deicide DNA in its unnatural makeup. Five years later, they serve up Death Never Sleeps with a sound profile still wearing Orlando-friendly cargo shorts, and hidden in those oversized pockets are elements of grindcore. This is ugly, slimy death for fugly, unwashed folks who throw empty beer cans at meth heads for cheap thrills. The only thing remotely classy about it is the badass cover art from Dan Seagrave, and that’s just fine by me. I’m not here to attend Finishing School or my court-mandated Anger Management workshop. I’m here to blast death metal and scare the normies, and so is Glorious Depravity. Twinsies!
The Depravity Boys come out hard on opener “Slaughter the Gerontocrats” with feverish riffs ripping skin and pasting bones as Pyrrhon’s Doug Moore vomits a world full of hate and venom on the listener. Some of the leads reek of vintage Mordid Angel, but this is more unhinged and closer to grind and even slam at times. Moore uncorks some truly rancid garbage disposal voKILLS and piercing shrieks, making this like an insane asylum in a hobo wine bottle. Things go a bit wonky on follow-up “Stripmined Flesh Extractor” with an awkward shuffling tempo that doesn’t fully work, thus squandering some of the crucial momentum created by the opener. From there, it’s a back and forth between well-executed death that hammer smashes your face and lesser cuts that have good moments but don’t disembowel you as they should. “Sulfurous Winds (Howling Through Christendom)” is a wild ride through the tombs where Morbid Angel buried their unused (and well-used) riffs, and Moore’s repeated roars about “SCIENCE” are fun in an old school Thomas Dolby way.1 “Scourged by the Wings of the Fell Destroyer” is also fine and dandy, hitting in that 1990 Floridan death way but with overtones of Kataklysm due to the screeching vocals.
My favorite moment arrives with “Necrobiotic Enslavement,” where the Morbid influence is especially notable in the heaving, lurching riffs that reek of overflowing ash Treys. While the good parts of Death Never Sleeps are respectable and entertaining, nothing here will completely blow your mind, and the lesser bits are Debbie Downers. “Freshkills Poltergeist” shoehorns in pinch harmonics that are more annoying than interesting, and “Carnage at the Margins” gets very screamy and ends up grating the nerves instead of power drilling the Medusa Oblongata. You end up with an album of mostly solid death with generic and underwhelming additions tacked on, which is disappointing for a band with the pedigree Glorious Depravity bring to the Geneology Council.
I’ll give Doug Moore props for his batshit crazy vocal performance. The guy is all over the lot with screams, shrieks, sub-basement gurgles, and standard death barks. He can do it all and proves it on every track, whether it’s needed or not. Sometimes he’s a dead ringer for Kataklysm’s Maurizio Iacono, and occasionally he sounds like young Mille of Kreator infamy. George Paul (Gravesend) and Matt Mewton (Woe) resurrect many riffs from the place where the slime live, and though it’s easy to spot their inspirations, I can’t fault much of what they throw down on the slab. There are a goodly number of face-melting leads and some completely insane solo pieces, too. Chris Grigg (Woe) brings a technical yet brutal force to the kit, pounding away like his life depends on it. The band is talented, but the writing sometimes lacks staying power and leans generic. At a tight 34 minutes, a lot of that can be forgiven as the good replaces the okay in short and savage order, but the lesser additions do drag the overall enjoyment factor down a few pegs.
Glorious Depravity gives a bunch of New York low-life bastards a chance to do things outside the lines of what their main gigs allow, and you can tell they’re having fun throwing shit against the subway wall. There’s nothing essential or “must hear” present, but it’s solid ratmeat and scumtaters for the diseased, and that may be enough for those fiends.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Websites: facebook.com/gloriousdepravity | instagram.com/gloriousdepravity
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025#2025 #30 #AgelessViolence #AmericanMetal #DeathMetal #DeathNeverSleeps #Deicide #GloriousDepravity #Gravesend #MorbidAngel #Nov25 #Pyrrhon #Review #Reviews #TranscendingObscurityRecords #Woe
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Glorious Depravity – Death Never Sleeps Review
By Steel Druhm
Death metal from New York City is usually plenty ugly enough, but in the strange case of Glorious Depravity, things get even more grotesque due to the band members’ connection to acts like Pyrrhon and Woe. Their 2020 debut Ageless Violence was a solid if non-essential homage to the Godz of Floridan Death with plenty of Morbid Angel and Deicide DNA in its unnatural makeup. Five years later, they serve up Death Never Sleeps with a sound profile still wearing Orlando-friendly cargo shorts, and hidden in those oversized pockets are elements of grindcore. This is ugly, slimy death for fugly, unwashed folks who throw empty beer cans at meth heads for cheap thrills. The only thing remotely classy about it is the badass cover art from Dan Seagrave, and that’s just fine by me. I’m not here to attend Finishing School or my court-mandated Anger Management workshop. I’m here to blast death metal and scare the normies, and so is Glorious Depravity. Twinsies!
The Depravity Boys come out hard on opener “Slaughter the Gerontocrats” with feverish riffs ripping skin and pasting bones as Pyrrhon’s Doug Moore vomits a world full of hate and venom on the listener. Some of the leads reek of vintage Mordid Angel, but this is more unhinged and closer to grind and even slam at times. Moore uncorks some truly rancid garbage disposal voKILLS and piercing shrieks, making this like an insane asylum in a hobo wine bottle. Things go a bit wonky on follow-up “Stripmined Flesh Extractor” with an awkward shuffling tempo that doesn’t fully work, thus squandering some of the crucial momentum created by the opener. From there, it’s a back and forth between well-executed death that hammer smashes your face and lesser cuts that have good moments but don’t disembowel you as they should. “Sulfurous Winds (Howling Through Christendom)” is a wild ride through the tombs where Morbid Angel buried their unused (and well-used) riffs, and Moore’s repeated roars about “SCIENCE” are fun in an old school Thomas Dolby way.1 “Scourged by the Wings of the Fell Destroyer” is also fine and dandy, hitting in that 1990 Floridan death way but with overtones of Kataklysm due to the screeching vocals.
My favorite moment arrives with “Necrobiotic Enslavement,” where the Morbid influence is especially notable in the heaving, lurching riffs that reek of overflowing ash Treys. While the good parts of Death Never Sleeps are respectable and entertaining, nothing here will completely blow your mind, and the lesser bits are Debbie Downers. “Freshkills Poltergeist” shoehorns in pinch harmonics that are more annoying than interesting, and “Carnage at the Margins” gets very screamy and ends up grating the nerves instead of power drilling the Medusa Oblongata. You end up with an album of mostly solid death with generic and underwhelming additions tacked on, which is disappointing for a band with the pedigree Glorious Depravity bring to the Geneology Council.
I’ll give Doug Moore props for his batshit crazy vocal performance. The guy is all over the lot with screams, shrieks, sub-basement gurgles, and standard death barks. He can do it all and proves it on every track, whether it’s needed or not. Sometimes he’s a dead ringer for Kataklysm’s Maurizio Iacono, and occasionally he sounds like young Mille of Kreator infamy. George Paul (Gravesend) and Matt Mewton (Woe) resurrect many riffs from the place where the slime live, and though it’s easy to spot their inspirations, I can’t fault much of what they throw down on the slab. There are a goodly number of face-melting leads and some completely insane solo pieces, too. Chris Grigg (Woe) brings a technical yet brutal force to the kit, pounding away like his life depends on it. The band is talented, but the writing sometimes lacks staying power and leans generic. At a tight 34 minutes, a lot of that can be forgiven as the good replaces the okay in short and savage order, but the lesser additions do drag the overall enjoyment factor down a few pegs.
Glorious Depravity gives a bunch of New York low-life bastards a chance to do things outside the lines of what their main gigs allow, and you can tell they’re having fun throwing shit against the subway wall. There’s nothing essential or “must hear” present, but it’s solid ratmeat and scumtaters for the diseased, and that may be enough for those fiends.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Websites: facebook.com/gloriousdepravity | instagram.com/gloriousdepravity
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025#2025 #30 #AgelessViolence #AmericanMetal #DeathMetal #DeathNeverSleeps #Deicide #GloriousDepravity #Gravesend #MorbidAngel #Nov25 #Pyrrhon #Review #Reviews #TranscendingObscurityRecords #Woe
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@kendraleonard I do. My methods are for prose editing.
First, and one of the most critical, is do not edit immediately after finishing a book. You can and probably should read it once just to get a sense of the story as a whole (but do not get sucked into editing at this point, Let it sit for a month. This gives you the chance to view it with fresh eyes. This is not wasted time; your brain will be working on it unconsciously.
The first edit is the developmental edit. This is the edit where you concentrate most on the story itself. Are there plot holes, plot points you foreshadowed but forgot to write later, does the story satisfy or did it go off in a wrong direction? Look at pacing, is is too fast or too slow. Carefully consider the first chapter. Does it hook the reader right away and make them want to keep reading? Do you have character growth arcs for your main characters. Are your secondary characters cardboard cut-outs or so they feel like real people? Is there someone that readers will relate to? Have you included enough backstory to make your world feel lived in. If you are writing speculative fiction, have you defined the universe well enough that people will understand what is happening. If it is a series book and not the first one, can a reader who has never read the first one understand what is going on? Do you have enough or too much description? Look at your percentage of telling versus showing. There should be some of both, but showing should be in the majority by a good bit. Are there major inconsistencies? Have you foreshadowed? How well does the book follow the expectations of readers in your genre?
Do not make changes as go in developmental editing. Make notes instead. When you get to making the changes, put up the notes and the document at at he same time and cross off items as you finish them. Remember, in developmental editing, a change may require you to move through many chapters, so don’t cross off too early unless you are sure.
Now on to the other edits. The first polishing edit is next. You look at grammar, word choice, flow of words, run on sentences, etc. If you are not experienced, use a style guide like the Chicago Manual of Style. This will help keep your use of the various rules consistent. This is hard and painful to do at first. But do it anyway. This is also one of the best ways to drill those rules into your head through repetition and it will be much easier in subsequent books to get the rules consistent. But since this is fiction, remember that people do not always talk in grammatically correct sentences. Don’t lose the voice of your characters by adhering too closely to the style guide. The key is to make the choice for someone to speak incorrectly to be deliberate. Understand when you break the rules and why you broke them. Readers can tell the difference between a deliberate breaking of the rules and when the author clearly didn’t understand the rules.
Speaking of conversation, this is where you look at the voice of the characters and their word choices. John and Mary should not speak exactly the same way. Perhaps Mary has more education and her speech is more correct and her vocabulary more extensive. John might use a lot of words and acronyms associated with his profession. Harold might be prone to swearing. Carolyn might be flirty. And so on.
And in this edit, make sure that you have the necessary dialog tags. If you lose track of who is speaking, then the readers certainly will. You don’t have to have dialog tags on every paragraph of dialog especially when only two characters are present. But when you don’t, it should still be clear who is speaking. Dialog tags should 90+% be said, asked, or a sentence about the person speaking. Use other dialog tags sparingly. And make sure that only one person speaks in an individual paragraph. And if a person speaks in multiple paragraphs in a row, look up the rule for how to handle that.
At this point , I usually send out to my beta readers, so they have time to read it while I work on the other edits.
My next edit is to use a software-based check. I use ProWritingAid, but there are others. This will catch a lot of the picky little things your eyes glossed over. They key to using this type of software is to understand that that are not allays correct and even when they are technically correct, it is not always correct for your particular book. Using this kind of edit is all about your judgment. If you follow every suggestion, your book will not work as well. For instance, it will identify sentences as passive voice. And while , yes, you should not use passive voice extensively, there are times when it is the right choice. And there are times when you need it as a short rest from the action. This is where your judgment comes in. My personal rule of thumb is if the person or thing who took the action is not important, let the passive voice stand. But I use less than 10% passive voice sentences. I can afford to be picky about whether I keep them or not. If you have lots of passive voice, fix most of them.
At this point I will be hearing from my beta readers. I will go through their suggestions and decide which ones I will implement. Not all suggestions from beta readers are good ones and multiple beta readers almost certainly means they will have mutually exclusive suggestions. Again, your judgment is key here.
At this point, the book should be in pretty good shape. This is the point where you have someone read the book to you (or let software do it, I get Scrivener to read mine.) Things you should get from this edit are word flow, wrong word choice, repetitive words. In other words, things that just didn’t sound right. I’ve broken up run-on sentences, changed form to from, fixed character names that suddenly morphed (Brian did not change his name to Brain). I’ve realized I used certainly too often.
As you are editing, you might want to take notes as you go on things you might want to check globally. If you misspell a character’s name once, you will want to make sure it didn’t happen again. If you know you are using a particular word, too often, you will want to check all uses of that word. At this point, make those global changes.
Now, one final edit to make sure that you didn’t break anything while editing. For instance, I once moved a paragraph to a new location and forgot to delete it from the old one. And do a little final polishing. You can polish forever, so make this one the last. I find that the sentences I change are ones that bothered me a bit in earlier edits, but I decided not to change. My personal rule is if this is the third time that sentence has bothered me, I will change it even if it is a perfectly good sentence. And, of course, I fix anything I notice is still broken.
#Writing #WritingLife #WritingCommunity #Editing #SelfEditing
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Midnight Gaming: Being a switch for hot robot women - 6th October 2025
Hello hello hello!!!♡ and welcome again to another edition of Midnight Gaming. This week we will be revisting a couple of games that I covered on this series before, with the first of them being a remaster by nightdive studios.
Yep its System Shock 2, the 25th anniversary remaster edition.
So last time I talked about SS2, I was talking about how a good number of games that Ken Levine had a major hand in often have a twist or a sort of betrayal in it. SS2 had with Dr Polito who talks to you at the beginning of the game and its revealed around halfway that shes been dead for a while, you then had Bioshock try to pull a similar twist with Atlas and the words "would you kindly". Bioshock 2 didnt really have a twist I dont think (which makes it the best bioshock out of them all FIGHT! ME!), and then there was infinite which opened up freaking multiverse shit with the villian of the game being you all along…. oh yeah spoilers I guess.
But were not gonna focus on that, were gonna talk about the remaster that nightdive did and what changes are made to this version compared to the original…. well for one they redubbed the tutorial voice that greets you when you step off the train and into the recruitment facility. Yeah thats a bit annoying, also they changed the end credits so instead of seeing the developers lying dead on the floor, its just a slow text crawl. What the hell nightdive?
Ok well there is some notable inclusions, for one, similar to the doom 1 and 2 as well as the heretic + hexen remasters, theres now a vault where you can look through some gamedev notes, concept art, pre-release screenshots, trailers and even magazine review scans and ads. They apparently managed to get coop multiplayer working and with crossplay being an option. I havent played the multiplayer, and thats the last i'll talk about the multiplayer.
Now, being a game made for pc, its use of the mouse and keyboard control setup is gonna be a bit hard to translate to a gamepad what with the number of bindings this game has for leaning, switching ammo or psi powers or even just managing your inventory. But I have managed to get a playthrough under my belt of this game using a ps5 controller and it seems like nightdive did a decent job with the controller. Switching ammo and the fire setting for your guns can be done with the left and right arrows and the up arrow respectively, you can press the left stick to switch from moving to leaning and while you might end up stuck leaning instead of moving a few times, you can get use to it and find it quite intuitive. They also added a way to add hotkeys to 4 weapons and 4 psi powers, each attached to the right and left shoulder buttons. You can't hotkey consumables though so if you need to heal during a dangerous situation it'll be a bit of a hassle… atleast the quantum bio-reconstructer will revive you for some nanites :/.
![media-1]Another thing to note is how this remaster incorporates some updated models as well some community fixes. The weapon models look fairly decent , you can see the pistol slide actually move back as it should rather than in the og where the gun just suddenly snaps back and moves back into position to simulate recoil. The new enemy models look alright, I dont believe they had it in the og game but the the service bots do seem to now break apart as you shoot them before they explode which is a nice touch. Oh and the cyborg midwife keeps her breasts covered here unlike some other graphical mods. So the remaster is perfectly competent I suppose, it works well and plays like the original with some updates and balances.
But should you buy it? Cause lets be clear here, you can still just buy system sock 2 on steam and just mod it. You can look up mandalores review on ss2 and look for the mods he recommends and get more or less the remastered experience at a fraction of the cost of the official remaster.
Infact regarding remasters, they are popping up quite frequently arent they? And while there are valid criticisms about how the industry is just constantly rehashing the old stuff for a quick buck and how folks still buy therefore enabling ths, I'd rather touch on what games are remastered and if its done well by fixing some issues and improving the game overall while also maintaining the original charm of the game being remastered without changing too much, theres already countless youtube videos out there that talk about remastering/remaking and whether its good or bad. Since I started writing this, two remasters were announced recently by two different developers who have a reputation of handling remasters.
Theres Nightdive who did this remaster but have also announced a remaster of… Blood refreshed supply which is a remaster of another remaster…… um…. so fresh supply had issues at its launch which did get somewhat fixed, though it apparently still had issues that nightdive wanted to fix, so I guess now they can do that now that atari and warner bros have reached a deal or something? Oh but this will have a new episode and it'll include the deathwish mod and sure but the fact that having fresh supply already doesnt mean you'll get this as an upgrade is just…. nah.
And I like Nightdive, they do decent work with their remasters, their work helped fix the issues that held some games back and make them more available for people to play. This blood remaster is just…. not ideal and I can imagine its not what they had in mind either, they would have just updated fresh supply instead, but atleast it'll be a perfectly serviceable, if not completely unnecessary and a bit of shill order.
But thats nothing compared to the Deus Ex Remaster which is….. jesus christ what the hell?
Now that ones being done by Aspyr who are also in the remaster business but they seem to have a different work ethic on producing remasters that folks have been critical on. Mainly that they seem to do the bare minimum and upscaling the graphics and making it playable on a system before calling it quits and moving on, even when theres still bugs and issues in the remaster. They have been panned for how they handled remastering stuff like the star wars battlefront games, the lok soul reaver and neverwinter nights 2 but this deus ex one really and I mean really took the cake….(to be fair, I saw reviews on that soul reaver remaster that mentioned serious bugs back when it launced but I checked it again recently and it seems like there was some fixes, so I bought that during a sale)
It looks awful, really awful. Its been pointed out that they apparently used ai to upscale models and textures with misspellings being observed and pointed out in the trailer. Its looking to be on the same level of quality as GTA trilogy "definitive" edition. And thats sad because I seem to recall Aspyr being a bit better in the past or atleast they werent criticised as heavily. They were doing ports on some star wars games and they were set on releasing ports of KOTOR 1 & 2 with the news that they'll include the restored content mod for kotor 2 along with the reveal of a proper remake of kotor. And then disney said no on the mod idea, Aspyr gets taken off the remake and now it feels like they've been a bit more apathetic as of late. I guess considering they went through financial issues during that fiasco they've decided its best to just do the minimum and move on while cashing their revenue cheques.
Kinda sad really.
Anyways… why did I buy this remaster? Well I wasn't planning to let alone cover it here but I had a real shit monday and decided to just buy some games that were on sale to cheer myself up. This game, Sulfur and Cult of the Lamb. I figure I'd cover this remaster to tie in with revisiting stuff I covered, along with a second game that I wanted to take a second look since I received a comment explaining some things that I felt confused before.
And that game…. will be revealed after the break.
NEWS ROUNDUP!!!
Steam Deck LCDs experience price drop - I enjoy my Steam Deck. I had no interest in buying a series x or going with a ps5 and I wasnt sure at the time the next nintendo console was going to be worthwhile (spoilers: I was right) so I decided to purchase a Steam Deck OLED and since then i've been pretty pleased with that, being able to play my steam library in a portable format and even buying a dock and ps5 controller to connect to my tv and play my library on a tv screen.
Now if you yourself have been interested in the Steam Deck but refrained due to price concerns, there is some good news as Valve are now selling the LCD model at a reduced price of $319.20/£279.20 on their online storefront. So if this appeals to you then maybe give it a look or just look at the linked pcgamer article below for further details.
Frictional Games seem to have announced Soma 2 through a "Hotel Samsara" website - Soooo…… you ever hear of Amnesia the dark descent? You did? Good, then you know who Frictional Games are since their the devs behind that as well as their previous Penumbra series and of course, SOMA which I've heard described as Amnesia but sci-fi.
Anyways a recent update to SOMA was noted in the patch to have fixed some "faulty spam filters" and sure enough near the start of the game your protagonists pc has a spam email for a hotel. Following the link leads to a real website acting as a sign up page for a hotel samsara which according to the RPS article, is described as being spooky. While folks are busy speculating what this all entails for SOMAS sequel, you can maybe check out the RPS article or even the hotel samsara site yourself if you're interested.
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/amnesia-creators-frictional-are-teasing-what-could-be-soma-2-through-a-sinister-luxury-hotel-websiteAnimated Death Stranding movie announced with working title "Death Stranding Mosquito" - Kojima loves hollywood, this is isnt really a secret or anything if your invested in his games or just happen to pay enough attention to news involving him.
Western hollywood movies are a major inspiration for his work in the metal gear series, he's fanboying over actors, hes ecstatic to work with Guillermo Del Toro, Mads Milkkelsen and Norman Reemus for Death Stranding. Hes a pretty big movie fan is what i'm saying and I'm fairly sure I heard or read somewhere that he wanted his own studio Kojima Productions to not only develop videos games but also branch out into films as well. So with the announcement of an animated movie set in the Death Stranding ip, you would think thats them doing just that, except its being handled by the A24 folks.
The film is being directed by a Hiroshi Miyamoto from ABC Animation and its being written by an Aaron Guzikowski whom this Game Informer article credits as being behind works such as Raised by Wolves, Prisoners and The Red Road.
I've had Death Stranding on my list of games that I wanted to play but havent gotten around to since I heard it described as a walking simulator/ horror game? I hear it was well received along with the sequel, I should really get around to buying and playing it, in the meantime feel free to look through the game informer article and check out the trailer they included too.
https://gameinformer.com/2025/09/23/death-stranding-animated-film-announced
Payday 2 now has a Subscription Service….. why tho?? - So…. I saw this when I opened up steam and read through the announcement before thinking to myself…. goddamn not again. Its lootboxes all over again.
![media-2]This announcement reeks of desperate… like payday 3 bombed pretty badly and Overkill and starbreeze are having some issues but this wasnt gonna help. The last time they had serious financial issues, they had to reopen devlopment on payday 2 and create dlc to sell to folks, thats how we got the dlc collections that take place near the white house finale that took heisters to Mexico, San Francisco and Texas.
Now though it doesnt seem like they're doing that, instead its just pay a sub to access dlcs please. You can still buy the dlcs seperate but some folks pointed out that the infamy collection which had all the dlc up to the white house heist along with the game itself apparently had a sudden price increase which overkill lowered again claiming it was a mistake… yeah…. sure….
And the real kicker? This might've gone a bit better if they did two things. First off, they could've made the base game of payday 2 free, just straight up free to bring in new players who havent already bought the game and most of the dlcs already. The second is they could've announced new dlc for payday 2 will be developed. This might seem embarrassing and they'd get lampooned for basically doing the same thing they did before, but atleast the subscription option would actually have some use instead of just being seen as a greedy crash grab.
Isnt there already a large amount of dlc for payday 2 that would be expensive to acquire fully… yes but the the infamy collection, which includes most of the dlc up to white house, often goes on sale along with the post white house dlc. So why would you pay a subscription to have temporary access to some dlcs for a 12 year old game????
NEWS ROUNDUP OVER!!!
So now our second game we're are revisiting is none other than… Nikke Goddesses of Victory, yeah that gacha game with the android women.
So you might wonder why am I revisiting this? Well as it turns out, when I posted my part 2 on Tumblr, someone actually commented and gave a pretty good explanation over some of the questions I brought up regarding it. Plus I felt that maybe I didnt give it a fair shake so I decided to give it another look to see if my thoughts change this time.
So gonna give a big thanks to kumokimiko and hopefully if you're reading this you don't mind me directly quoting you here:
"in-universe, Nikkes look the way that they do because the procedure generates a body profile based on the human's exceptionally strong sense of self or ideals. at time of creation, they become an idealized version of themselves. however, if they lacked such a personality or conviction, they become a mass-produced model.
the Nikke manufacturing companies capitalize on this phenomenon, by ensuring the strong and independent designs are marketable and aspirational. Mass-produced models are fodder that nobody need think twice about (well, until it's YOUR daughter who got turned into a mass-produced, but you're more likely to just disown them to avoid the heartbreak), but the sexy top-end models, they're the "Goddesses of Victory", fighting Raptures for mankind, who every girl wants to be like someday.
why only women? in-universe, not much explanation beyond "we tried using dudes, it didn't work". out-of-universe, however, it plays into the borderline feminist critique the writers are making of women as second-class citizens in South Korea. Nikkes have no agency and have their free will subjugated by nanomachines in the brain, may be subject to horrible experimentation or memory wipes with minimal justification, and are widely distrusted by the general populace on account of being susceptible to corruption and turning on humans at any time. in Nikke, the protagonist must essentially learn how to become the Ultimate Feminist, using his own status as a 'Human Commander of growing renown' to advocate for Nikke rights and support their mental health and autonomy"
Sooo…. to my understanding:
The nikkes look like attractive women because the process is based on what that person believes is their most ideal form, provided they have the willpower and drive, otherwise they become a basic mass production grunt. The ones who do are essentially used for marketing and pr purposes to attract more candidates for nikke creation. Though in that sense it doesnt quite answer as to why some nikkes look like minors. Maybe they litterly used kids in some cases?
While it makes little sense ingame, the fact that all the nikkes are women does serve a narrative point since this game uses the framework of a post-apocalypse with android women soldiers to touch on the subject of rampant misogyny and treatment of women in places such as South Korea. In my past playthrough and this one, the games story did explain that nikkes are treated somewhat expendable and unfairly. One example is how in the story my commander is told they'll get punished severely for breaking some rules yet in the court trial, they get suspended for two days while 2 nikkes in their command are ordered to have their memories erased, essentially being given a soft death penalty despite following orders.
This is definitive proof that someone has actually read some of my work on this series.
No really, this is a problem. See while I would've liked to see some traction and attention on this series, I kind of gotten used to being cursed with obscurity so I just wrote my thoughts and feelings on games and news without worrying about comments because who the hell is gonna read it lmao….
Well someone did, they actually read that part 2 I did and they wrote a comment that helpfully answered my questions regarding the game and…. i'm not sure I feel comfortable with this. I know I get the rare like and even rarer repost but I never really had a comment like this, if ever. Right now it makes me wonder if I should be careful from now on, this comment might have been nice and informative but how do I know the next one won't just straight up be my home address. How do I know I'm not being scrutinised on every word even as I type this. It's just….l i've been observed….
I've been observed.
I've been observed.
I'VE BEEN OBSERRRRRRVVVVVEEEEDDDDD!!!!!!!#!@#@!#£
(Insert technical difficulties)
"Ah you must be the new commander"
"hello…."
"Yes the doctors told me you suffered severe brain trauma from that helicopter crash. Its amazing you managed to survive that as well as all the raptures in that area. Anyways commander I have some bad news, it seems that crash has had some serious side effects as all of your misogyny has been knocked out of you, effectively making you woke"
"women….deserve better.."
"Normally we'd execute you infront of firing squad who would shout slurs at you till you die by a self-inflicted injury but the central government has decided to go with a rather unorthodox strategy. Apparently that crash has also made you a gifted commander as according to the performance reports, it seems the nikkes you commanded actually like you and that made them more effective soldiers."
"women so beautiful… give equal pay"
"Commander this pains me to say this but I need you to….. respect women. You need to respect women as hard as you can in the hopes that maybe they can kill all the alien robots. That means you cannot assault, call them slurs, grope or stare at their breasts and asses. You have to actually listen to them talk and hear their problems as well as give them gifts without any expectations for sexual gratification in return. And you positively can't smell them especially on anywhere they sit. We need you to do this, it may very well be the only way to protect our future dystopic society where BANGCAPITALISMBANGSTILLBANGEXISTS!!!"
"women deserve autonomy….. pretty women"
"Look we've tried hitting them, sexually harrassing them, stalking them, we've tried everything but for some reason nothing worked as well as what you did. Now get the fuck out there you liberal cuck. I need to detox by binging andrew tate videos and then go on fortnite to shout slurs at childrenCOUGH"
"blood…"
"Yes sorry for that, I was aura-farmmaxxing last night. Also I ate some shrimp that may have been contaminated with radiation, I have seconds left to live."
(We now return you to your regulary scheduled blog post)
ok…. ok… i'm calm now… had a small meltdown but i'm cool now….
You know something? The devs for nikke and glitch productions should do a collab involving murder drones. I mean this game has robot women, murder drones has some robot women and men. That could honestly work because nikke does do some collabs, they did one for nier and evangelion, hell atm they're doing one with resident evil. They could definatly do one with murder drones, it'd be pretty neat.
Anways uh….. right last time I talked about nikke I mentioned that playing on a phone didnt feel ideal due to screen space and that'd I'd had to rely on the auto functions for aiming. Since then i've gotten a tablet, so the game should play better on it right? Well yes…. and no. Yes the large screen space is better to aim with, but for some reason its locked in portrait mode rather than landscape. Not to mention aiming via dragging my finger feels too sluggish. I ended up failing a stage while doing manual aiming and when I tried again while letting the nikkes aim themselves, they managed to beat the stage no problem. So I mostly just let them handle the shooting while I sit back and activate burst skills, only occasionally taking manual aim during boss fights to attack vital points to interrupt an attack.
![media-3]I have also mentioned the fact that you could bond with your nikkes to increase their affection before but didnt really touch on it much unlike in this session. So not only do you increase a nikkes stats by leveling their affection, you also unlock episodes for that nikkes unique character story. Between these episodes along with the text message conversations you can have with a random nikke and even events in the outpost you could view for a limited time each week, it does help flesh out a lot of these characters personalities. Now granted i'm a gacha casual. I don't know if nikke is the one that did a system like this in such a way. I know I saw similar bonding mechanics in granblue and reverse 1999 but i'm not sure if they allow the same opportunities for thier characters to show their personality off unlike here.
I did manage to get a better idea on how to build a squad rather than just go with an auto-created one. I have either 1 level 1 and 2 level 2's or 2 level 1's and 1 level 2 and usually have two level 3's. The single ones tend to have skills that have a 20 second cooldown while the pairs tend to have longer cooldowns since I can choose the alternate one for that level, this way I can activate more full bursts to get complete buffs. Usually the squad contains a healer/shield nikke, buff nikke and a couple of damage nikkes.
You know looking back on the points from that comment, theres definitely an avenue for the nikke devs to do a story that touches on transgenderism given the whole "nikkes that arent mass repro are based on the subjects own personal idealised form" angle. You could definitely do a story where either a male subject did manage to be a successful transfer but they end up discovering something about themselves and end up transitioning or just one of the nikkes could have their pre-nikke history reveal that they were originally a man. I dunno I feel as if that is something they could actually do in this game…. though theres a potential chance they do it poorly or the whole nikke community goes in full meltdown over it but it is an idea.
To be honest I do feel my opinions on this has improved a bit given the context provided by that comment. Playing the game again and putting a bit more attention on some of the visual novel scenes does make me a appreciate how the game portrays the characters it has you playing gacha for, atleast on the conversations and personality side and not the pinup model one, though if this game was trying to go for story about feminism, it would kinda hurt the angle they were going if they went all "fan-servicey" over it and from what I played so far, they do manage to atleast avoid going too far, for the most part. I mean the resident evil event story did have a small scene of the commander walking on someone changing clothes and immediately backed out and apologise without showing an image of said character mid-changing, I feel like another game would have actually showed said scene in detail for a quick bit of pandering and I do appreciate they didnt do that.
Still kinda sucks that they dont look like actual robots, that would've been pretty cool and looking through all the nikkes you could get, most of are usually attractive women or just straight up rugrats, but then I found them….. Kilo.
![media-4]A nikke who pilots a mech suit, uses a light machine gun to spread dakka and has some good shielding skills and a damaging burst skill. Unfortunately shes was only available during the 1.5 anniversary event and few other events and doesnt seem like you coud get her via the regular gacha. You just have to wait for her to be available in a special gacha which….. sucks.
So yeah, I gonna keep this on the tablet and maybe look at on the odd occasion but I do feel like its a lot better than I initially thought in my intial playthrough of this game.
Now, was there anything I wanted to cover about this game….
Oh right…
Syeun, the ceo for Missilis Industry, is a cunt. I dont think thats controversial to say and I don't care if she has a tragic backstory, her introduction at the outpost and her attempt to force you to work for her, even threatening to frame you if you try to extract early, makes her a massive asshole in my eyes. If shes your favourite then fine, more power to you, she just ain't mine.
So that'll be it for this edition of Midnight Gaming. Next time will be covering something I havent covered beforehand. Until then i'll see you then, feel free to leave comments and game suggestion
#midnightgaming #gaming #video-games #nikke #nikke-goddess-of-victory #system-shock-2 #nightdive-studios -
Just found out #adobe is increasing their prices on Jan 15 2025. I could technically lock in the photography 20gb price if I switch to annual, but maybe it's time to say goodbye to #LightroomClassic. If I were to go the free route I'd choose #AdobeBridge for DAM + #darktable for raws. For a perpetual licence option—#CaptureOnePro or #dxophotolab8, but since I already have #pureraw4, I'm leaning towards C1.
#photoediting #Lightroom #photography
https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable
https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/faq/ccpp-20gb.html -
Tips For Small Business In Teaming With Prime Contractors
“WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY” – By Mike Lisagor
Adapted from the book: How to Win in the Government Market (co-authored with Mark Amtower)
“There are plenty of pitfalls and possible mistakes when you form partnerships.There is no such thing as a risk-free proposition as a subcontractor. But here are eleven guidelines that can increase your chances of picking the winning prime contractor.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
- While established relationships often influence teaming decisions, business associates can be re-assigned or leave their company. Having a definitive teaming agreement is one of the few ways you can mitigate this risk.
- Your company’s technical role and work percentage should be clearly defined in a written teaming agreement (usually Attachment A). Avoid terms like “best efforts” or “goals.” These rarely pan out. On IDIQ and GWAC bids where work content is guaranteed, get an agreement on which technical areas you will lead…something like “all the work in our core competency.”
- It is a good practice to request a Dun & Bradstreet credit report on a potential small business prime contractor to assess whether they will be deemed financially credible in the eyes of the client. I’ve seen the government throw out bids because the small business prime couldn’t pay their bills. This was incredibly frustrating for subs.
- Ask the client what they think of potential teammates – the worst that can happen is they’ll decline to comment.
- Most acquisitions require either the prime contractor or the entire team to provide a certain number of project citations. Confirm that the prime has the necessary past performance and relevant projects to cite in the proposal.
- Look for a prime that has subject matter experts who meet the key personnel requirements. Negotiate having some of these be from your company.
- Many government acquisition re-competes assume the winning team will hire some or all the incumbent contractor’s staff. This will need to be considered as part of your teaming and win strategy.
- Make sure the potential prime contractor has the resources and ability to develop a professional winning proposal. Find out up front how much effort you will be expected to expend.
- Discuss pricing strategy up front so you know whether the rates you will have to bid will fit within your company’s pricing model. This means you need to know whether the target agency has a history of best value or lowest price ‘barely’ technically capable awards. And the prime’s ability to be competitive.
- Avoid companies that have a reputation for treating their subcontractors unfairly especially when negotiating a subcontract after the award and sharing the resulting work. Query your industry partners for their experience teaming with the prime. And, just as you should when hiring someone, trust your instincts. It won’t get better after the award.
- One final suggestion — use a decision matrix to evaluate the teaming landscape for each specific new business opportunity. This will take some of the emotion out of the selection process. First, develop the important win strategy criteria (column 1). These should be based on both stated and perceived procurement needs as a result of client discussions and reading procurement documentation. Next assess your own company’s ability to meet these criteria and any gaps you can’t fill (column 2). Then, evaluate each candidate prime against the same criteria using colors; high, medium, low; or a numerical score to determine the best fit (one column for each company).
And, above all, avoid teaming just because it’s someone you already know…team to win!
Tips On Teaming With Prime Contractors
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mike Lisagor
A (usually) retired writer, gov’t contractor BD & PM expert, and blues musician, Mike Lisagor is the founder of Celerity Works and a co-founder of GovFlex.com. His books include the just released, How to Win in the Government Market (with Mark Amtower), The Essential Guide to Managing a Government Project, and How to Develop a Winning SBIR Proposal (with Eric Adolphe). He can be reached at LinkedIn.com/in/mikelisagor and [email protected]
#books #governmentContractTeaming #governmentContracting #GovernmentContractors #news #Teaming #technology -
By Owlswald
Crafting a great or excellent record is a remarkable feat. But it’s another challenge entirely to consistently churn out banger after banger. This kind of consistency is the not-so-secret sauce that can launch bands into the upper echelons. While examples are numerous, California’s Imperialist is poised to demonstrate their potential for genuine longevity with third LP, Prime. Having already broken the Score Safety Counter with 2018’s Cipher, the sci-fi black metal quartet returned to impress our Elitist on staff again in 2021 with follow-up, Zenith. Now, four years later and with an EP in between, Imperialist sets its crosshairs on Prime to deliver their third quality record in a row.
Longtime followers of Imperialist’s cosmic flight path will notice that the foursome has stayed true to its blackened foundation. Sergio Soto and Bryant Quinones’ trem-picked guitars and stylish shredding—á la Dissection and Immortal—fuse with Rod Quinones’ explosive blast beats and Soto’s callous snarls to power their apocalyptic and space-faring narrative. However, on Prime, Imperialist updates their design, discarding the “loose screws” of previous albums for a meaner, more streamlined edge. The quartet’s songwriting has become more refined, featuring fluid transitions, engaging leads and solos, and strong, memorable riffs that anchor their high-energy sound. Everything about Prime is bigger, better, and more powerful than before, from the intense and technical performances to Eliran Kantor’s stunning cover art and Dan “The Man” Swanö’s excellent mix. The result is a full-force attack that hits with all its might, making Prime Imperialist’s most impressive effort to date.
Through years of dedication, Imperialist has weaponized its proven blueprint, transforming into a razor-sharp cohesive assault. Soto and Quinones’ guitars lead the charge, delivering a terrestrial invasion of light-speed tremolo runs and hooky, head-banging riffs packed full of cataclysmic energy perfectly suited for Prime’s apocalyptic premise. Imperialist prominently evolved its sound by adding melodic leads and solos that are both tasteful and technical, prioritizing emotion and phrase over showmanship to give Prime’s nine tracks greater punch and charisma. Their solos—with harmonic fluency (“A Ghost Abandoned,” “Beneath the Sands of Titan”), wah accents (“Starstorm,” “A Ghost Abandoned”), and expressive feel (“Final Hours,” “Nocturnal Eon”)—balance technicality with musical intuition while also contributing to Imperialist’s saga. Serving as the main force behind Prime’s storytelling, Soto’s vocal performance immerses the listener into the album’s vast narrative, as his tone, delivery and lyrical content perfectly marry Prime’s musical aggression with their thematic vision. His delivery has a great thrashy snarl that is flat-out mean, sounding like a mix between David DiSanto (Vektor) and Abbath (Immortal) while still retaining sharp and clear enunciation.
Prime hits hard from the start with “Starstorm” and sustains that high-energy approach for most of its forty-five-minute runtime. Bolstering Prime’s sound, Swanö’s mix forgoes the sterile feel of past albums for a lively and organic one, allowing each instrument room to breathe while pushing Soto’s vocals to the forefront. Interlude, “Heavens Sunder,” fits into the album’s arc perfectly and makes the return to Prime’s aggressive final half feel even heavier. The decision to include an interlude at the album’s midpoint was a smart move, especially given that a lack of song variation has historically been Imperialist’s Achilles’ heel. And yet, the back half of Prime still falters as its momentum wanes. “Union of the Swarm” and “Nocturnal Eon” are solid but feel less compelling, lacking the memorability of the album’s stronger tracks. Prime could have improved its staying power with greater differentiation between these songs and the album’s other material or by trimming one altogether. Fortunately, the triumphant “A Ghost Abandoned” breaks this pattern. With its sauntering rhythm, it provides a welcome change of pace before its satisfying, drifting outro delivers a sense of a completed journey, from initial onslaught to a final, fading resolution.
While it just misses greatness, Prime is without a doubt Imperialist’s most cohesive and powerful album to date. The group has successfully addressed nearly all the lingering issues from their past work while adding new depth to their sound. With Prime, these Californians are operating near the apex of their craft, having now released three consecutive quality black metal albums that cement them as one of the genre’s premier acts. No one knows where Imperialist go from here, but Prime is a journey that deserves your attention.
Rating: Very Good!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Websites: imperialistus.bandcamp.com/music | imperialistofficial.com | facebook.com/Imperialistofficial
Releases Worldwide: September 5th, 2025#2025 #35 #AmericanMetalMetal #BlackMetal #Dissection #Immortal #Imperialist #Prime #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #TranscendingObscurity #Vektor
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Stuck in the Filter: November/December 2025’s Angry Misses By Kenstrosity
Brutal cold envelops the building as my minions scrape through ice and filthy slush to find even the smallest shard of metallic glimmer. With extensive budget cuts demanded by my exorbitant bonus schedule—as is my right as CEO of this filtration service—there was no room to purchase adequate gear and equipment for these harsher weathers. However, I did take up crocheting recently so each of my “employees” received a nice soft hat.
Hopefully, that will be enough to tide them over until the inclement weather passes and we return to normal temps. Until then, they have these rare finds to keep them warm, and so do you! REJOICE!
Kenstrosity’s Knightly Nightmare
AngelMaker // This Used to Be Heaven [November 20th, 2025 – Self Released]
I’ve been a fan of AngelMaker’s since their 2015 debut Dissentient. The grossly underrated and underappreciated Vancouver septet are a highly specialized deathcore infantry, with their lineup expanding steadily over their career in concert with their ever-increasing songwriting sophistication. Unlike the brutish and belligerent debut and follow-up AngelMaker, 2022’s Sanctum and new outing This Used to Be Heaven indulge in rich layering, near-neoclassical melodies, and dramatic atmosphere to complement AngelMaker’s trademark sense of swaggering groove. With early entries “Rich in Anguish” and “Haunter” establishing the strength of both sides of their sound, it always surprises me how AngelMaker successfully twist and gnarl their sound into shapes—whether it be hardcore, blackened, or melodic—I wasn’t anticipating (“Silken Hands,” “Relinquished,” “Nothing Left”). A rock-solid back half launched by the epic “The Omen” two-part suite brings these deviations from the expected into unity with the deathcore foundation I know AngelMaker so well for (“Malevolence Reigns,” “Altare Mortis”), and in doing so secure their status as one of the most reliably creative deathcore acts in the scene. Nothing here is going to change the minds of the fiercer deathcore detractors, but if your heart is open even just a crack, there’s a good chance This Used to Be Heaven will force themselves into it, if not entirely rip the whole thing asunder. My advice is simply to let it.
This Used To Be Heaven by AngelMaker
ClarkKent’s Sonic Symphonics
Brainblast // Colossus Suprema [November 11th, 2025 – Vmbrella]
A debut album five years in the making from a band formed in 2015, Colossus Suprema is the brainchild of Bogotá, Colombia’s Edd Jiménez. Jiménez turned his passion for and training in classical composition towards his symphonic progressive act, Brainblast. With Bach as an inspiration, Brainblast’s brand of technical death metal has the grandeur of Fleshgod Apocalypse, the speed of Archspire, and the virtuosity of concert musicians. Jiménez’s classical training shows — the compositions have an orchestral feel, only played at insane energy levels. The speed, the depth, and the breadth of the instrumentation are sure to leave you breathless. Nicholas Le Fou Wells (First Fragment) lays down relentless kitwork with jaw-dropping velocity, while Eetu Hernesmaa provides technical fretwork that’ll similarly leave you awestruck. He delivers sublime riffs on “Relentless Rise” and a surprising melodic lead that steals the show on “Unchain Your Soul.” Perhaps most prominent is the virtuoso play of the bass from Rich Gray (Annihilator) and Dominic Forest Lapointe (First Fragment) that is omnipresent and funky on each and every song. To top it all off is the piano (perhaps from Jiménez), giving the music some gravitas with the technical, concert-style playing. This record is just plain bonkers and tons of fun. Given this is the debut from a young musician, the idea that Brainblast has room to grow is plenty exciting.
COLOSSUS SUPREMA by BRAINBLAST
Gods of Gaia // Escape the Wonderland [November 28th, 2025 – Self Released]
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the next SepticFlesh release, Germany’s Gods of Gaia have got you covered. Founded in 2023 by Kevin Sierra Eifert, Gods of Gaia is made up of an anonymous collective from around the world, contributing to a dark, heavy, and aggressive form of symphonic metal. Their sophomore album, Escape the Wonderland, features a collection of death metal songs with plenty of orchestral arrangements that add a dramatic flair. Along with crushing riffs and thunderous blast beats, you’ll hear choral chants (“Escape the Wonderland,” “Burn for Me”), bits of piano (“What It Takes”), and plenty of cinematic symphonics. SepticFlesh is the obvious influence, but the grandiosity of Fleshgod Apocalypse flares up on cuts like the dramatic “Rise Up.” The front half is largely aggressive, with “What It Takes” taking the energy to thrash levels. The back half dials down the energy, even creeping to near doom on “Krieg in Mir,” but never pulls back on the heaviness. Cool as the symphonic elements are, the riffs, blast beats, and brutal vocal delivery are just as impressive. Make no mistake, this is melodic death metal above all else, with symphonic seasonings that elevate it a notch. Just the opposite of what the record title suggests, this is one wonderland you won’t want to escape.
Escape the Wonderland by Gods of Gaia
Grin Reaper’s Frozen Feast
Hounds of Bayanay // КЭМ [November 15, 2025 – Self Released]
Two-and-a-half years after dropping debut Legends of the North, Hounds of Bayanay returns with КЭМ to sate your eternal lust for folk metal.1 Blending heavy metal with folk instrumentation, specifically kyrympa2 and khomus,3 as well as throat singing, Hounds of Bayanay might sound like a Tengger Cavalry or The Hu knockoff, but you’ll do yourself a disservice by writing them off. Boldly enunciated, clarion cleans belt out in confident proclamations while grittier refrains and overtones resonate beneath, proffering assorted and engaging vocal stylings. Rather than dwelling overlong in strings and tribal chanting, the deft fusion of folk instruments with traditional metal defines Hounds’ sound and feels cohesively integrated on КЭМ, providing an intimate yet heavy backdrop to a hook-laden and alluringly replayable thirty-nine minutes. In addition to the eclectic folk influence, there’s a satisfying variety of songwriting from track to track, with “Ardaq,” “Cɯsqa:n,” and “Dɔʃɔrum” exemplifying the enticing synthesis of styles. More than anything else, Hounds of Bayanay embodies heart and fun, warming my chilly days with a well-executed platter of Eastern-influenced folk metal. Don’t skip this one, or the decision could hound you.
Blood Red Throne // Siltskin [December 05, 2025 – Soulseller Records]
I’m shoving up against the deadline to wedge this one in, but Blood Red Throne’s latest deserves a mention, and bulldozing is just the sort of thing you should do while listening to BRT’s brand of bludgeoning, pit-stomping romp. Back in December, the venerable Norwegian death metal act dropped twelfth album Siltskin, maintaining their prolific and consistent release schedule. In addition to their dependable output, BRT stays the course with pummeling, brutish pomp. In his coverage of Nonagon and Imperial Congregation, Doc Grier drums up comparisons to Old Man’s Child, Panzerchrist, and Hypocrisy, and while I’m not inclined to disagree on those points, I’ll add that Siltskin also harkens to Kill-era Cannibal Corpse in its slick coalition of mid-paced slammers, warp-speed blitzes, and fat ‘n’ frolicking bass. Add to that the sly, sticky melody from the likes of Sentenced’s North from Here (“Vestigial Remnants”), and you’ve got a recipe for a righteous forty-five-minute smash-a-thon. Blood Red Throne’s last few records have been among their best, which is an incredible feat for a band this far into their career. While Siltskin doesn’t surpass BRT’s high-water mark, it keeps up, and if you’re hungry for an aural beatdown, then Blood Red Throne would like to throw their crown into the ring for consideration.
Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu // Immortality [December 17, 2025 – Bang the Head Records]
I am woefully late to the charms of Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu, a Japanese death metal outfit prominently featuring slap ‘n’ pop bass. Had it not been for our trusty Flippered Friend, I might have continued this grievous injustice of ignorance, but thankfully, this is not the timeline to which I’m doomed. Immortality is Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu’s seventh album, and those who enjoy the band’s previous work should remain satisfied. For new acolytes, Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu grasps the rabid intensity of Vader and Krisiun and imbues it with a funky edge. Meaty bass rumbles and sprightly slapped accents, provided by bassist/vocalist Haruhisa Takahata, merge with Kouki Akita’s kit obliteration to establish a thunderous, unrelenting rhythm section. Atop the lower end’s heft, Keiichi Enjouji shreds and squeals with thrashy vigor and a keen understanding of melody. First proper track “Anima Immortalis” even includes gang intonations that work so well, I wish they were more prevalent across the album. The sum total of Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu’s atmosphere is one of plucky exuberance that strikes with the force of a roundhouse kick to the dome. Had I discovered it sooner, Immortality would have qualified for a 2025 year-end honorable mention, as I haven’t been able to stop spinning it or the band’s prior releases.4 Though I’m still in the honeymoon phase, I expect this platter to live on in my listening, and recommend you not miss this GTK killer like I almost did.
Thus Spoke’s Random Revelations
The Algorithm // Recursive Infinity [November 21st, 2025 – Self Released]
I’ve been a fan of The Algorithm since the early days, back when their electronica-djent was almost twee in its experimental joy, spliced with light-hearted samples. Over the years, Rémi Gallego has tuned his flair for mesmeric, playful compositions to develop a richer, more streamlined sound. Recursive Infinity continues the recent upward trend Data Renaissance began. With riffs and rhythms the slickest since Brute Force, and melodies the brightest and most colourful since equally-prettily adorned Polymorphic Code, it’s a cyberpunk tour-de-force. The wildness is trained, chunky heaviness grounding magnetic melodies (“Race Condition,” “Mutex,” “By Design”), dense chugging transitioning seamlessly into techno (“Advanced Iteration Technique,” “Hollowing,” “Graceful Degradation), and adding bite to bubbly, candy-coloured soundscapes (“Rainbow Table,”). The skittering of breakbeats tempers synthwave (“Endless Iteration), and bright pulses wrap cascading electro-core (“Race Condition,” “Mutex”) and orchestral melodrama (“Recursive Infinity”). It’s often strongly reminiscent of some point in The Algorithm’s history, but everything is upgraded from charming to entrancing. This provides a new way to interpret Recursive Infinity: not just a reference to an endless loop in general, but to Boucle Infinie (Infinite Loop)—Remi’s other musical project—and by extension, The Algorithm themselves. Yet he is still experimenting, including vocoder vocals (“Endless Iteration,” “By Design”) for a surprisingly successful dark-Daft Punk vibe in slower, moodier moments. With nostalgic throwbacks transformed so beautifully, and the continued evolution, there’s simply no way I can ignore The Algorithm now. And neither should you.
Recursive Infinity by The Algorithm
Owlswald’s Holiday Scraps
Sun of the Suns // Entanglement [December 12th, 2025 – Scarlet Records]
Bands and labels take heed—We reserve December for two things: Listurnalia and celebrating another trip around the sun. It is not for releasing new music. Yet this blunder persists, ensuring we inevitably miss gems like Sun of the Suns’ sophomore effort, Entanglement.5 The record dropped just as the world was tuning out for the year, and it deserves much better. Building on the foundation of their 2021 debut, TIIT, the Italian trio has significantly beefed up their progressive death formula. Mixing tech-death articulation with deathcore brutality, Entanglement ensures fans of Fallujah will feel right at home with its effervescent clean melodies and crystalline textures. Francesca Paoli (Fleshgod Apocalypse) returns to provide another masterclass behind the kit with rapid-fire double-bass, blasts, and tom fills, while guitarists Marco Righetti and Ludovico Cioffi deliver cosmic shredding and radiant solos that are both technical and deliberate. While the early tracks lean into Fallujahian songcraft and Tesseract-style arpeggios, the album shines brightest late when the group largely sheds its stylistic orbit. “Please, Blackout My Eyes” pivots toward a majestic Aeternam vibe with ethereal tech-death incisiveness, while “One With the Sun” and “The Void Where Sound Ends Its Path” hit like a sledgehammer with Xenobiotic’s deathcore grooves. Though Luca Dave Scarlatti’s vocals lack differentiation, the sheer quality of the compositions carries the weight, proving Sun of the Suns are much more than mere clones.
Entanglement by Sun Of The Suns
#2025 #Aeternam #AngelMaker #Annihilator #Archspire #Bach #BangTheHeadRecords #BloodRedThrone #Brainblast #CannibalCorpse #ColombianMetal #ColossusSuprema #DaftPunk #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Dec25 #Djent #Entanglement #EscapeTheWonderland #ExperimentalMetal #Fallujah #FirstFragment #FleshgodApocalypse #FolkMetal #GermanMetal #GodsOfGaia #GotsuTotsuKotsu #HeavyMetal #HoundsOfBayanay #Hypocrisy #Immortality #ItalianMetal #JapaneseMetal #Krisiun #MelodicDeathMetal #NorwegianMetal #Nov25 #OldManSChild #Panzerchrist #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #RecursiveInfinity #Review #Reviews #ScarletRecords #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #Sentenced #SepticFlesh #Siltskin #SoulsellerRecords #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #SunOfTheSuns #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicMetal #Synthwave #TechnicalDeathMetal #TenggerCavalry #TesseracT #TheAlgorithm #TheHu #ThisUsedToBeHeaven #Vader #Vmbrella #Xenobiotic #КЭМ -
Stuck in the Filter: November/December 2025’s Angry Misses By Kenstrosity
Brutal cold envelops the building as my minions scrape through ice and filthy slush to find even the smallest shard of metallic glimmer. With extensive budget cuts demanded by my exorbitant bonus schedule—as is my right as CEO of this filtration service—there was no room to purchase adequate gear and equipment for these harsher weathers. However, I did take up crocheting recently so each of my “employees” received a nice soft hat.
Hopefully, that will be enough to tide them over until the inclement weather passes and we return to normal temps. Until then, they have these rare finds to keep them warm, and so do you! REJOICE!
Kenstrosity’s Knightly Nightmare
AngelMaker // This Used to Be Heaven [November 20th, 2025 – Self Released]
I’ve been a fan of AngelMaker’s since their 2015 debut Dissentient. The grossly underrated and underappreciated Vancouver septet are a highly specialized deathcore infantry, with their lineup expanding steadily over their career in concert with their ever-increasing songwriting sophistication. Unlike the brutish and belligerent debut and follow-up AngelMaker, 2022’s Sanctum and new outing This Used to Be Heaven indulge in rich layering, near-neoclassical melodies, and dramatic atmosphere to complement AngelMaker’s trademark sense of swaggering groove. With early entries “Rich in Anguish” and “Haunter” establishing the strength of both sides of their sound, it always surprises me how AngelMaker successfully twist and gnarl their sound into shapes—whether it be hardcore, blackened, or melodic—I wasn’t anticipating (“Silken Hands,” “Relinquished,” “Nothing Left”). A rock-solid back half launched by the epic “The Omen” two-part suite brings these deviations from the expected into unity with the deathcore foundation I know AngelMaker so well for (“Malevolence Reigns,” “Altare Mortis”), and in doing so secure their status as one of the most reliably creative deathcore acts in the scene. Nothing here is going to change the minds of the fiercer deathcore detractors, but if your heart is open even just a crack, there’s a good chance This Used to Be Heaven will force themselves into it, if not entirely rip the whole thing asunder. My advice is simply to let it.
This Used To Be Heaven by AngelMaker
ClarkKent’s Sonic Symphonics
Brainblast // Colossus Suprema [November 11th, 2025 – Vmbrella]
A debut album five years in the making from a band formed in 2015, Colossus Suprema is the brainchild of Bogotá, Colombia’s Edd Jiménez. Jiménez turned his passion for and training in classical composition towards his symphonic progressive act, Brainblast. With Bach as an inspiration, Brainblast’s brand of technical death metal has the grandeur of Fleshgod Apocalypse, the speed of Archspire, and the virtuosity of concert musicians. Jiménez’s classical training shows — the compositions have an orchestral feel, only played at insane energy levels. The speed, the depth, and the breadth of the instrumentation are sure to leave you breathless. Nicholas Le Fou Wells (First Fragment) lays down relentless kitwork with jaw-dropping velocity, while Eetu Hernesmaa provides technical fretwork that’ll similarly leave you awestruck. He delivers sublime riffs on “Relentless Rise” and a surprising melodic lead that steals the show on “Unchain Your Soul.” Perhaps most prominent is the virtuoso play of the bass from Rich Gray (Annihilator) and Dominic Forest Lapointe (First Fragment) that is omnipresent and funky on each and every song. To top it all off is the piano (perhaps from Jiménez), giving the music some gravitas with the technical, concert-style playing. This record is just plain bonkers and tons of fun. Given this is the debut from a young musician, the idea that Brainblast has room to grow is plenty exciting.
COLOSSUS SUPREMA by BRAINBLAST
Gods of Gaia // Escape the Wonderland [November 28th, 2025 – Self Released]
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the next SepticFlesh release, Germany’s Gods of Gaia have got you covered. Founded in 2023 by Kevin Sierra Eifert, Gods of Gaia is made up of an anonymous collective from around the world, contributing to a dark, heavy, and aggressive form of symphonic metal. Their sophomore album, Escape the Wonderland, features a collection of death metal songs with plenty of orchestral arrangements that add a dramatic flair. Along with crushing riffs and thunderous blast beats, you’ll hear choral chants (“Escape the Wonderland,” “Burn for Me”), bits of piano (“What It Takes”), and plenty of cinematic symphonics. SepticFlesh is the obvious influence, but the grandiosity of Fleshgod Apocalypse flares up on cuts like the dramatic “Rise Up.” The front half is largely aggressive, with “What It Takes” taking the energy to thrash levels. The back half dials down the energy, even creeping to near doom on “Krieg in Mir,” but never pulls back on the heaviness. Cool as the symphonic elements are, the riffs, blast beats, and brutal vocal delivery are just as impressive. Make no mistake, this is melodic death metal above all else, with symphonic seasonings that elevate it a notch. Just the opposite of what the record title suggests, this is one wonderland you won’t want to escape.
Escape the Wonderland by Gods of Gaia
Grin Reaper’s Frozen Feast
Hounds of Bayanay // КЭМ [November 15, 2025 – Self Released]
Two-and-a-half years after dropping debut Legends of the North, Hounds of Bayanay returns with КЭМ to sate your eternal lust for folk metal.1 Blending heavy metal with folk instrumentation, specifically kyrympa2 and khomus,3 as well as throat singing, Hounds of Bayanay might sound like a Tengger Cavalry or The Hu knockoff, but you’ll do yourself a disservice by writing them off. Boldly enunciated, clarion cleans belt out in confident proclamations while grittier refrains and overtones resonate beneath, proffering assorted and engaging vocal stylings. Rather than dwelling overlong in strings and tribal chanting, the deft fusion of folk instruments with traditional metal defines Hounds’ sound and feels cohesively integrated on КЭМ, providing an intimate yet heavy backdrop to a hook-laden and alluringly replayable thirty-nine minutes. In addition to the eclectic folk influence, there’s a satisfying variety of songwriting from track to track, with “Ardaq,” “Cɯsqa:n,” and “Dɔʃɔrum” exemplifying the enticing synthesis of styles. More than anything else, Hounds of Bayanay embodies heart and fun, warming my chilly days with a well-executed platter of Eastern-influenced folk metal. Don’t skip this one, or the decision could hound you.
Blood Red Throne // Siltskin [December 05, 2025 – Soulseller Records]
I’m shoving up against the deadline to wedge this one in, but Blood Red Throne’s latest deserves a mention, and bulldozing is just the sort of thing you should do while listening to BRT’s brand of bludgeoning, pit-stomping romp. Back in December, the venerable Norwegian death metal act dropped twelfth album Siltskin, maintaining their prolific and consistent release schedule. In addition to their dependable output, BRT stays the course with pummeling, brutish pomp. In his coverage of Nonagon and Imperial Congregation, Doc Grier drums up comparisons to Old Man’s Child, Panzerchrist, and Hypocrisy, and while I’m not inclined to disagree on those points, I’ll add that Siltskin also harkens to Kill-era Cannibal Corpse in its slick coalition of mid-paced slammers, warp-speed blitzes, and fat ‘n’ frolicking bass. Add to that the sly, sticky melody from the likes of Sentenced’s North from Here (“Vestigial Remnants”), and you’ve got a recipe for a righteous forty-five-minute smash-a-thon. Blood Red Throne’s last few records have been among their best, which is an incredible feat for a band this far into their career. While Siltskin doesn’t surpass BRT’s high-water mark, it keeps up, and if you’re hungry for an aural beatdown, then Blood Red Throne would like to throw their crown into the ring for consideration.
Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu // Immortality [December 17, 2025 – Bang the Head Records]
I am woefully late to the charms of Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu, a Japanese death metal outfit prominently featuring slap ‘n’ pop bass. Had it not been for our trusty Flippered Friend, I might have continued this grievous injustice of ignorance, but thankfully, this is not the timeline to which I’m doomed. Immortality is Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu’s seventh album, and those who enjoy the band’s previous work should remain satisfied. For new acolytes, Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu grasps the rabid intensity of Vader and Krisiun and imbues it with a funky edge. Meaty bass rumbles and sprightly slapped accents, provided by bassist/vocalist Haruhisa Takahata, merge with Kouki Akita’s kit obliteration to establish a thunderous, unrelenting rhythm section. Atop the lower end’s heft, Keiichi Enjouji shreds and squeals with thrashy vigor and a keen understanding of melody. First proper track “Anima Immortalis” even includes gang intonations that work so well, I wish they were more prevalent across the album. The sum total of Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu’s atmosphere is one of plucky exuberance that strikes with the force of a roundhouse kick to the dome. Had I discovered it sooner, Immortality would have qualified for a 2025 year-end honorable mention, as I haven’t been able to stop spinning it or the band’s prior releases.4 Though I’m still in the honeymoon phase, I expect this platter to live on in my listening, and recommend you not miss this GTK killer like I almost did.
Thus Spoke’s Random Revelations
The Algorithm // Recursive Infinity [November 21st, 2025 – Self Released]
I’ve been a fan of The Algorithm since the early days, back when their electronica-djent was almost twee in its experimental joy, spliced with light-hearted samples. Over the years, Rémi Gallego has tuned his flair for mesmeric, playful compositions to develop a richer, more streamlined sound. Recursive Infinity continues the recent upward trend Data Renaissance began. With riffs and rhythms the slickest since Brute Force, and melodies the brightest and most colourful since equally-prettily adorned Polymorphic Code, it’s a cyberpunk tour-de-force. The wildness is trained, chunky heaviness grounding magnetic melodies (“Race Condition,” “Mutex,” “By Design”), dense chugging transitioning seamlessly into techno (“Advanced Iteration Technique,” “Hollowing,” “Graceful Degradation), and adding bite to bubbly, candy-coloured soundscapes (“Rainbow Table,”). The skittering of breakbeats tempers synthwave (“Endless Iteration), and bright pulses wrap cascading electro-core (“Race Condition,” “Mutex”) and orchestral melodrama (“Recursive Infinity”). It’s often strongly reminiscent of some point in The Algorithm’s history, but everything is upgraded from charming to entrancing. This provides a new way to interpret Recursive Infinity: not just a reference to an endless loop in general, but to Boucle Infinie (Infinite Loop)—Remi’s other musical project—and by extension, The Algorithm themselves. Yet he is still experimenting, including vocoder vocals (“Endless Iteration,” “By Design”) for a surprisingly successful dark-Daft Punk vibe in slower, moodier moments. With nostalgic throwbacks transformed so beautifully, and the continued evolution, there’s simply no way I can ignore The Algorithm now. And neither should you.
Recursive Infinity by The Algorithm
Owlswald’s Holiday Scraps
Sun of the Suns // Entanglement [December 12th, 2025 – Scarlet Records]
Bands and labels take heed—We reserve December for two things: Listurnalia and celebrating another trip around the sun. It is not for releasing new music. Yet this blunder persists, ensuring we inevitably miss gems like Sun of the Suns’ sophomore effort, Entanglement.5 The record dropped just as the world was tuning out for the year, and it deserves much better. Building on the foundation of their 2021 debut, TIIT, the Italian trio has significantly beefed up their progressive death formula. Mixing tech-death articulation with deathcore brutality, Entanglement ensures fans of Fallujah will feel right at home with its effervescent clean melodies and crystalline textures. Francesca Paoli (Fleshgod Apocalypse) returns to provide another masterclass behind the kit with rapid-fire double-bass, blasts, and tom fills, while guitarists Marco Righetti and Ludovico Cioffi deliver cosmic shredding and radiant solos that are both technical and deliberate. While the early tracks lean into Fallujahian songcraft and Tesseract-style arpeggios, the album shines brightest late when the group largely sheds its stylistic orbit. “Please, Blackout My Eyes” pivots toward a majestic Aeternam vibe with ethereal tech-death incisiveness, while “One With the Sun” and “The Void Where Sound Ends Its Path” hit like a sledgehammer with Xenobiotic’s deathcore grooves. Though Luca Dave Scarlatti’s vocals lack differentiation, the sheer quality of the compositions carries the weight, proving Sun of the Suns are much more than mere clones.
Entanglement by Sun Of The Suns
#2025 #Aeternam #AngelMaker #Annihilator #Archspire #Bach #BangTheHeadRecords #BloodRedThrone #Brainblast #CannibalCorpse #ColombianMetal #ColossusSuprema #DaftPunk #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Dec25 #Djent #Entanglement #EscapeTheWonderland #ExperimentalMetal #Fallujah #FirstFragment #FleshgodApocalypse #FolkMetal #GermanMetal #GodsOfGaia #GotsuTotsuKotsu #HeavyMetal #HoundsOfBayanay #Hypocrisy #Immortality #ItalianMetal #JapaneseMetal #Krisiun #MelodicDeathMetal #NorwegianMetal #Nov25 #OldManSChild #Panzerchrist #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #RecursiveInfinity #Review #Reviews #ScarletRecords #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #Sentenced #SepticFlesh #Siltskin #SoulsellerRecords #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #SunOfTheSuns #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicMetal #Synthwave #TechnicalDeathMetal #TenggerCavalry #TesseracT #TheAlgorithm #TheHu #ThisUsedToBeHeaven #Vader #Vmbrella #Xenobiotic #КЭМ -
Stuck in the Filter: November/December 2025’s Angry Misses By Kenstrosity
Brutal cold envelops the building as my minions scrape through ice and filthy slush to find even the smallest shard of metallic glimmer. With extensive budget cuts demanded by my exorbitant bonus schedule—as is my right as CEO of this filtration service—there was no room to purchase adequate gear and equipment for these harsher weathers. However, I did take up crocheting recently so each of my “employees” received a nice soft hat.
Hopefully, that will be enough to tide them over until the inclement weather passes and we return to normal temps. Until then, they have these rare finds to keep them warm, and so do you! REJOICE!
Kenstrosity’s Knightly Nightmare
AngelMaker // This Used to Be Heaven [November 20th, 2025 – Self Released]
I’ve been a fan of AngelMaker’s since their 2015 debut Dissentient. The grossly underrated and underappreciated Vancouver septet are a highly specialized deathcore infantry, with their lineup expanding steadily over their career in concert with their ever-increasing songwriting sophistication. Unlike the brutish and belligerent debut and follow-up AngelMaker, 2022’s Sanctum and new outing This Used to Be Heaven indulge in rich layering, near-neoclassical melodies, and dramatic atmosphere to complement AngelMaker’s trademark sense of swaggering groove. With early entries “Rich in Anguish” and “Haunter” establishing the strength of both sides of their sound, it always surprises me how AngelMaker successfully twist and gnarl their sound into shapes—whether it be hardcore, blackened, or melodic—I wasn’t anticipating (“Silken Hands,” “Relinquished,” “Nothing Left”). A rock-solid back half launched by the epic “The Omen” two-part suite brings these deviations from the expected into unity with the deathcore foundation I know AngelMaker so well for (“Malevolence Reigns,” “Altare Mortis”), and in doing so secure their status as one of the most reliably creative deathcore acts in the scene. Nothing here is going to change the minds of the fiercer deathcore detractors, but if your heart is open even just a crack, there’s a good chance This Used to Be Heaven will force themselves into it, if not entirely rip the whole thing asunder. My advice is simply to let it.
This Used To Be Heaven by AngelMaker
ClarkKent’s Sonic Symphonics
Brainblast // Colossus Suprema [November 11th, 2025 – Vmbrella]
A debut album five years in the making from a band formed in 2015, Colossus Suprema is the brainchild of Bogotá, Colombia’s Edd Jiménez. Jiménez turned his passion for and training in classical composition towards his symphonic progressive act, Brainblast. With Bach as an inspiration, Brainblast’s brand of technical death metal has the grandeur of Fleshgod Apocalypse, the speed of Archspire, and the virtuosity of concert musicians. Jiménez’s classical training shows — the compositions have an orchestral feel, only played at insane energy levels. The speed, the depth, and the breadth of the instrumentation are sure to leave you breathless. Nicholas Le Fou Wells (First Fragment) lays down relentless kitwork with jaw-dropping velocity, while Eetu Hernesmaa provides technical fretwork that’ll similarly leave you awestruck. He delivers sublime riffs on “Relentless Rise” and a surprising melodic lead that steals the show on “Unchain Your Soul.” Perhaps most prominent is the virtuoso play of the bass from Rich Gray (Annihilator) and Dominic Forest Lapointe (First Fragment) that is omnipresent and funky on each and every song. To top it all off is the piano (perhaps from Jiménez), giving the music some gravitas with the technical, concert-style playing. This record is just plain bonkers and tons of fun. Given this is the debut from a young musician, the idea that Brainblast has room to grow is plenty exciting.
COLOSSUS SUPREMA by BRAINBLAST
Gods of Gaia // Escape the Wonderland [November 28th, 2025 – Self Released]
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the next SepticFlesh release, Germany’s Gods of Gaia have got you covered. Founded in 2023 by Kevin Sierra Eifert, Gods of Gaia is made up of an anonymous collective from around the world, contributing to a dark, heavy, and aggressive form of symphonic metal. Their sophomore album, Escape the Wonderland, features a collection of death metal songs with plenty of orchestral arrangements that add a dramatic flair. Along with crushing riffs and thunderous blast beats, you’ll hear choral chants (“Escape the Wonderland,” “Burn for Me”), bits of piano (“What It Takes”), and plenty of cinematic symphonics. SepticFlesh is the obvious influence, but the grandiosity of Fleshgod Apocalypse flares up on cuts like the dramatic “Rise Up.” The front half is largely aggressive, with “What It Takes” taking the energy to thrash levels. The back half dials down the energy, even creeping to near doom on “Krieg in Mir,” but never pulls back on the heaviness. Cool as the symphonic elements are, the riffs, blast beats, and brutal vocal delivery are just as impressive. Make no mistake, this is melodic death metal above all else, with symphonic seasonings that elevate it a notch. Just the opposite of what the record title suggests, this is one wonderland you won’t want to escape.
Escape the Wonderland by Gods of Gaia
Grin Reaper’s Frozen Feast
Hounds of Bayanay // КЭМ [November 15, 2025 – Self Released]
Two-and-a-half years after dropping debut Legends of the North, Hounds of Bayanay returns with КЭМ to sate your eternal lust for folk metal.1 Blending heavy metal with folk instrumentation, specifically kyrympa2 and khomus,3 as well as throat singing, Hounds of Bayanay might sound like a Tengger Cavalry or The Hu knockoff, but you’ll do yourself a disservice by writing them off. Boldly enunciated, clarion cleans belt out in confident proclamations while grittier refrains and overtones resonate beneath, proffering assorted and engaging vocal stylings. Rather than dwelling overlong in strings and tribal chanting, the deft fusion of folk instruments with traditional metal defines Hounds’ sound and feels cohesively integrated on КЭМ, providing an intimate yet heavy backdrop to a hook-laden and alluringly replayable thirty-nine minutes. In addition to the eclectic folk influence, there’s a satisfying variety of songwriting from track to track, with “Ardaq,” “Cɯsqa:n,” and “Dɔʃɔrum” exemplifying the enticing synthesis of styles. More than anything else, Hounds of Bayanay embodies heart and fun, warming my chilly days with a well-executed platter of Eastern-influenced folk metal. Don’t skip this one, or the decision could hound you.
Blood Red Throne // Siltskin [December 05, 2025 – Soulseller Records]
I’m shoving up against the deadline to wedge this one in, but Blood Red Throne’s latest deserves a mention, and bulldozing is just the sort of thing you should do while listening to BRT’s brand of bludgeoning, pit-stomping romp. Back in December, the venerable Norwegian death metal act dropped twelfth album Siltskin, maintaining their prolific and consistent release schedule. In addition to their dependable output, BRT stays the course with pummeling, brutish pomp. In his coverage of Nonagon and Imperial Congregation, Doc Grier drums up comparisons to Old Man’s Child, Panzerchrist, and Hypocrisy, and while I’m not inclined to disagree on those points, I’ll add that Siltskin also harkens to Kill-era Cannibal Corpse in its slick coalition of mid-paced slammers, warp-speed blitzes, and fat ‘n’ frolicking bass. Add to that the sly, sticky melody from the likes of Sentenced’s North from Here (“Vestigial Remnants”), and you’ve got a recipe for a righteous forty-five-minute smash-a-thon. Blood Red Throne’s last few records have been among their best, which is an incredible feat for a band this far into their career. While Siltskin doesn’t surpass BRT’s high-water mark, it keeps up, and if you’re hungry for an aural beatdown, then Blood Red Throne would like to throw their crown into the ring for consideration.
Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu // Immortality [December 17, 2025 – Bang the Head Records]
I am woefully late to the charms of Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu, a Japanese death metal outfit prominently featuring slap ‘n’ pop bass. Had it not been for our trusty Flippered Friend, I might have continued this grievous injustice of ignorance, but thankfully, this is not the timeline to which I’m doomed. Immortality is Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu’s seventh album, and those who enjoy the band’s previous work should remain satisfied. For new acolytes, Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu grasps the rabid intensity of Vader and Krisiun and imbues it with a funky edge. Meaty bass rumbles and sprightly slapped accents, provided by bassist/vocalist Haruhisa Takahata, merge with Kouki Akita’s kit obliteration to establish a thunderous, unrelenting rhythm section. Atop the lower end’s heft, Keiichi Enjouji shreds and squeals with thrashy vigor and a keen understanding of melody. First proper track “Anima Immortalis” even includes gang intonations that work so well, I wish they were more prevalent across the album. The sum total of Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu’s atmosphere is one of plucky exuberance that strikes with the force of a roundhouse kick to the dome. Had I discovered it sooner, Immortality would have qualified for a 2025 year-end honorable mention, as I haven’t been able to stop spinning it or the band’s prior releases.4 Though I’m still in the honeymoon phase, I expect this platter to live on in my listening, and recommend you not miss this GTK killer like I almost did.
Thus Spoke’s Random Revelations
The Algorithm // Recursive Infinity [November 21st, 2025 – Self Released]
I’ve been a fan of The Algorithm since the early days, back when their electronica-djent was almost twee in its experimental joy, spliced with light-hearted samples. Over the years, Rémi Gallego has tuned his flair for mesmeric, playful compositions to develop a richer, more streamlined sound. Recursive Infinity continues the recent upward trend Data Renaissance began. With riffs and rhythms the slickest since Brute Force, and melodies the brightest and most colourful since equally-prettily adorned Polymorphic Code, it’s a cyberpunk tour-de-force. The wildness is trained, chunky heaviness grounding magnetic melodies (“Race Condition,” “Mutex,” “By Design”), dense chugging transitioning seamlessly into techno (“Advanced Iteration Technique,” “Hollowing,” “Graceful Degradation), and adding bite to bubbly, candy-coloured soundscapes (“Rainbow Table,”). The skittering of breakbeats tempers synthwave (“Endless Iteration), and bright pulses wrap cascading electro-core (“Race Condition,” “Mutex”) and orchestral melodrama (“Recursive Infinity”). It’s often strongly reminiscent of some point in The Algorithm’s history, but everything is upgraded from charming to entrancing. This provides a new way to interpret Recursive Infinity: not just a reference to an endless loop in general, but to Boucle Infinie (Infinite Loop)—Remi’s other musical project—and by extension, The Algorithm themselves. Yet he is still experimenting, including vocoder vocals (“Endless Iteration,” “By Design”) for a surprisingly successful dark-Daft Punk vibe in slower, moodier moments. With nostalgic throwbacks transformed so beautifully, and the continued evolution, there’s simply no way I can ignore The Algorithm now. And neither should you.
Recursive Infinity by The Algorithm
Owlswald’s Holiday Scraps
Sun of the Suns // Entanglement [December 12th, 2025 – Scarlet Records]
Bands and labels take heed—We reserve December for two things: Listurnalia and celebrating another trip around the sun. It is not for releasing new music. Yet this blunder persists, ensuring we inevitably miss gems like Sun of the Suns’ sophomore effort, Entanglement.5 The record dropped just as the world was tuning out for the year, and it deserves much better. Building on the foundation of their 2021 debut, TIIT, the Italian trio has significantly beefed up their progressive death formula. Mixing tech-death articulation with deathcore brutality, Entanglement ensures fans of Fallujah will feel right at home with its effervescent clean melodies and crystalline textures. Francesca Paoli (Fleshgod Apocalypse) returns to provide another masterclass behind the kit with rapid-fire double-bass, blasts, and tom fills, while guitarists Marco Righetti and Ludovico Cioffi deliver cosmic shredding and radiant solos that are both technical and deliberate. While the early tracks lean into Fallujahian songcraft and Tesseract-style arpeggios, the album shines brightest late when the group largely sheds its stylistic orbit. “Please, Blackout My Eyes” pivots toward a majestic Aeternam vibe with ethereal tech-death incisiveness, while “One With the Sun” and “The Void Where Sound Ends Its Path” hit like a sledgehammer with Xenobiotic’s deathcore grooves. Though Luca Dave Scarlatti’s vocals lack differentiation, the sheer quality of the compositions carries the weight, proving Sun of the Suns are much more than mere clones.
Entanglement by Sun Of The Suns
#2025 #Aeternam #AngelMaker #Annihilator #Archspire #Bach #BangTheHeadRecords #BloodRedThrone #Brainblast #CannibalCorpse #ColombianMetal #ColossusSuprema #DaftPunk #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Dec25 #Djent #Entanglement #EscapeTheWonderland #ExperimentalMetal #Fallujah #FirstFragment #FleshgodApocalypse #FolkMetal #GermanMetal #GodsOfGaia #GotsuTotsuKotsu #HeavyMetal #HoundsOfBayanay #Hypocrisy #Immortality #ItalianMetal #JapaneseMetal #Krisiun #MelodicDeathMetal #NorwegianMetal #Nov25 #OldManSChild #Panzerchrist #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #RecursiveInfinity #Review #Reviews #ScarletRecords #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #Sentenced #SepticFlesh #Siltskin #SoulsellerRecords #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #SunOfTheSuns #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicMetal #Synthwave #TechnicalDeathMetal #TenggerCavalry #TesseracT #TheAlgorithm #TheHu #ThisUsedToBeHeaven #Vader #Vmbrella #Xenobiotic #КЭМ -
Starscourge – Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed Review By Andy-War-Hall
Fromsoftware’s behemoth action-RPG Elden Ring is an enigma. How a game so obtuse, difficult, and uniquely itself in its visuals and storytelling became the blockbuster that it is baffles me, and it’s one of those precious pieces of art that simply makes me happy to live in the same world as it. It’s also metal as anything can be. Bands like Fell Omen have tapped into the game’s mythology for inspiration before and, now, the international blackened death duo Starscourge enter the fray with their debut Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed. Promising serious riffage and an emphasis on storytelling, instrumentalist Zul Bharoocha (Sweden) and vocalist Mithun MK (Singapore) have already overcome one great obstacle by getting this thing made at all. But what did Starscourge achieve with Conqueror of the Stars…? I doubt you could even imagine it…
Conqueror of the Stars…’s full title is comically verbose, but it foreshadows the sheer opulent regality exuded by Starscourge. The band masterfully captures Elden Ring’s demi-deific power struggle through massive riff-craft supported by extravagant (synth) orchestration and choir. “Ranni’s Requiem – A Night of Black Knives” imposes regal grandiosity through overwhelming choirs and guitar leads, while the weight with which “The Battle of Aeonia” heaves itself feels genuinely symphonic. “Athwart Hereditary Taint, Thence Doth the Valkyrie Ride” wields a wonderful balance of airy dueling guitars and piano and blistering, throat-shredding black metal, standing in contrast to the maniacal, overtly evil decadence of “Together, My Serpentine Valentine” immediately following. Even the Slayer cover “Spirit in Black” sounds opulent, imbuing MK’s Araya impersonation with the arrogant pomp suited to a Golden Order lord of Elden Ring. If you like your metal as haughty as it is heavy, Starscourge is your band and Conqueror of the Stars… is your album.
Athwart Hereditary Taint, Thence Doth The Valkyrie Ride by Starscourge
Conqueror of the Stars… may reek of vainglory and overwriting, but don’t be fooled: Starscourge are exhilarating. Bharoocha’s riffs tap into the fullest majesty of black metal (“The Shattering”) and melodeath’s sharpest hooks (“I Am the Starscourge”), even indulging in NWOBHM-isms on “The Battle of Aeonia.” MK’s growls resemble a mix of Aeternam’s Achraf Loudiy and Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, while his cleans recall both Borknagar’s ICS Vortex and, when he breaks out the falsettos, King Diamond. Conqueror of the Stars… rages from start to finish,1 whether by propulsive chops on “Whereunto Frenzy Beckoneth” or furious tremolos on “Destiny’s Dastardly Dynasty,” and Bharoocha’s leads and solos approach Moonlight Sorcery levels of show-off-ness in their technicality (“Blessings Upon the Golden Throne”). Starscourge also prove expert editors, as everything but “The Battle of Aeonia” sits tight at three to four minutes of no fat, all muscle goodness.2 Starscourge could’ve afforded to put on some weight, as both “Blessings Upon the Golden Order” and “I Am the Starscourge” end somewhat anticlimactically. Like Elden Ring, Conqueror of the Stars… brings the goods in great quantity without resorting to padding.
But there’s no avoiding Starscourge’s Achilles heel: insistence upon voice acting. Opener “Betwixt Sundered Seraphim…” sees Starscourge read off one of Elden Ring’s trailer scripts in an unconvincing Shakespearean inflection over boring synths, failing to either achieve the dramatic pulse of the original read or excite the listener. This is the least offensive spoken word moment on the album, however, because it at least doesn’t distract from a good instrumental. Too often, a bruising riff (“Destiny’s Dastardly Dynasty”), half a solo (“The Shattering”), or a slow build-up (“The Battle of Aeonia”) is buried under cringey monologue that doesn’t immerse the listener into the story any better than a compelling instrumental could’ve. Given voice acting’s prominent role in Conqueror of the Stars…, it’s clear that Starscourge think of it as an integral factor of their style. I don’t. It’s boring, a bit silly, and stands in conflict with the rest of the music. Conqueror of the Stars… is already an engrossing, deeply dramatic record without it, so why insist upon it?3
But even with Starscourge’s voice acting woes, not to mention less-than-thrilling mixing and mastering,4 Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed is a monumentally entertaining record. Both grandiose and lean, the few but notable hiccups this album has just barely held my hand from shattering the Score Safety Box one last time this year. Whether you abide by the frenzy of black metal or live in death, or just really like Elden Ring, Conqueror of the Stars… is an easy recommendation. Bear witness!
Rating: Very Good…
#2025 #35 #Aeternam #BlackenedDeathMetal #Borknagar #ConquerorOfTheStarsBetwixtSunderedSeraphimTheLandsBetweenBleed #Dec25 #FellOmen #InternationalMetal #KingDiamond #LambOfGod #MoonlightSorcery #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #Slayer #Starscourge
DR: 6… | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3…
Label: Self-Release…
Websites: facebook.com/official.starscourge | starscourgeofficial.bandcamp.com …
Releases Worldwide: December 19th, 2025… -
Starscourge – Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed Review By Andy-War-Hall
Fromsoftware’s behemoth action-RPG Elden Ring is an enigma. How a game so obtuse, difficult, and uniquely itself in its visuals and storytelling became the blockbuster that it is baffles me, and it’s one of those precious pieces of art that simply makes me happy to live in the same world as it. It’s also metal as anything can be. Bands like Fell Omen have tapped into the game’s mythology for inspiration before and, now, the international blackened death duo Starscourge enter the fray with their debut Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed. Promising serious riffage and an emphasis on storytelling, instrumentalist Zul Bharoocha (Sweden) and vocalist Mithun MK (Singapore) have already overcome one great obstacle by getting this thing made at all. But what did Starscourge achieve with Conqueror of the Stars…? I doubt you could even imagine it…
Conqueror of the Stars…’s full title is comically verbose, but it foreshadows the sheer opulent regality exuded by Starscourge. The band masterfully captures Elden Ring’s demi-deific power struggle through massive riff-craft supported by extravagant (synth) orchestration and choir. “Ranni’s Requiem – A Night of Black Knives” imposes regal grandiosity through overwhelming choirs and guitar leads, while the weight with which “The Battle of Aeonia” heaves itself feels genuinely symphonic. “Athwart Hereditary Taint, Thence Doth the Valkyrie Ride” wields a wonderful balance of airy dueling guitars and piano and blistering, throat-shredding black metal, standing in contrast to the maniacal, overtly evil decadence of “Together, My Serpentine Valentine” immediately following. Even the Slayer cover “Spirit in Black” sounds opulent, imbuing MK’s Araya impersonation with the arrogant pomp suited to a Golden Order lord of Elden Ring. If you like your metal as haughty as it is heavy, Starscourge is your band and Conqueror of the Stars… is your album.
Athwart Hereditary Taint, Thence Doth The Valkyrie Ride by Starscourge
Conqueror of the Stars… may reek of vainglory and overwriting, but don’t be fooled: Starscourge are exhilarating. Bharoocha’s riffs tap into the fullest majesty of black metal (“The Shattering”) and melodeath’s sharpest hooks (“I Am the Starscourge”), even indulging in NWOBHM-isms on “The Battle of Aeonia.” MK’s growls resemble a mix of Aeternam’s Achraf Loudiy and Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, while his cleans recall both Borknagar’s ICS Vortex and, when he breaks out the falsettos, King Diamond. Conqueror of the Stars… rages from start to finish,1 whether by propulsive chops on “Whereunto Frenzy Beckoneth” or furious tremolos on “Destiny’s Dastardly Dynasty,” and Bharoocha’s leads and solos approach Moonlight Sorcery levels of show-off-ness in their technicality (“Blessings Upon the Golden Throne”). Starscourge also prove expert editors, as everything but “The Battle of Aeonia” sits tight at three to four minutes of no fat, all muscle goodness.2 Starscourge could’ve afforded to put on some weight, as both “Blessings Upon the Golden Order” and “I Am the Starscourge” end somewhat anticlimactically. Like Elden Ring, Conqueror of the Stars… brings the goods in great quantity without resorting to padding.
But there’s no avoiding Starscourge’s Achilles heel: insistence upon voice acting. Opener “Betwixt Sundered Seraphim…” sees Starscourge read off one of Elden Ring’s trailer scripts in an unconvincing Shakespearean inflection over boring synths, failing to either achieve the dramatic pulse of the original read or excite the listener. This is the least offensive spoken word moment on the album, however, because it at least doesn’t distract from a good instrumental. Too often, a bruising riff (“Destiny’s Dastardly Dynasty”), half a solo (“The Shattering”), or a slow build-up (“The Battle of Aeonia”) is buried under cringey monologue that doesn’t immerse the listener into the story any better than a compelling instrumental could’ve. Given voice acting’s prominent role in Conqueror of the Stars…, it’s clear that Starscourge think of it as an integral factor of their style. I don’t. It’s boring, a bit silly, and stands in conflict with the rest of the music. Conqueror of the Stars… is already an engrossing, deeply dramatic record without it, so why insist upon it?3
But even with Starscourge’s voice acting woes, not to mention less-than-thrilling mixing and mastering,4 Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed is a monumentally entertaining record. Both grandiose and lean, the few but notable hiccups this album has just barely held my hand from shattering the Score Safety Box one last time this year. Whether you abide by the frenzy of black metal or live in death, or just really like Elden Ring, Conqueror of the Stars… is an easy recommendation. Bear witness!
Rating: Very Good…
#2025 #35 #Aeternam #BlackenedDeathMetal #Borknagar #ConquerorOfTheStarsBetwixtSunderedSeraphimTheLandsBetweenBleed #Dec25 #FellOmen #InternationalMetal #KingDiamond #LambOfGod #MoonlightSorcery #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #Slayer #Starscourge
DR: 6… | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3…
Label: Self-Release…
Websites: facebook.com/official.starscourge | starscourgeofficial.bandcamp.com …
Releases Worldwide: December 19th, 2025… -
Starscourge – Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed Review By Andy-War-Hall
Fromsoftware’s behemoth action-RPG Elden Ring is an enigma. How a game so obtuse, difficult, and uniquely itself in its visuals and storytelling became the blockbuster that it is baffles me, and it’s one of those precious pieces of art that simply makes me happy to live in the same world as it. It’s also metal as anything can be. Bands like Fell Omen have tapped into the game’s mythology for inspiration before and, now, the international blackened death duo Starscourge enter the fray with their debut Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed. Promising serious riffage and an emphasis on storytelling, instrumentalist Zul Bharoocha (Sweden) and vocalist Mithun MK (Singapore) have already overcome one great obstacle by getting this thing made at all. But what did Starscourge achieve with Conqueror of the Stars…? I doubt you could even imagine it…
Conqueror of the Stars…’s full title is comically verbose, but it foreshadows the sheer opulent regality exuded by Starscourge. The band masterfully captures Elden Ring’s demi-deific power struggle through massive riff-craft supported by extravagant (synth) orchestration and choir. “Ranni’s Requiem – A Night of Black Knives” imposes regal grandiosity through overwhelming choirs and guitar leads, while the weight with which “The Battle of Aeonia” heaves itself feels genuinely symphonic. “Athwart Hereditary Taint, Thence Doth the Valkyrie Ride” wields a wonderful balance of airy dueling guitars and piano and blistering, throat-shredding black metal, standing in contrast to the maniacal, overtly evil decadence of “Together, My Serpentine Valentine” immediately following. Even the Slayer cover “Spirit in Black” sounds opulent, imbuing MK’s Araya impersonation with the arrogant pomp suited to a Golden Order lord of Elden Ring. If you like your metal as haughty as it is heavy, Starscourge is your band and Conqueror of the Stars… is your album.
Athwart Hereditary Taint, Thence Doth The Valkyrie Ride by Starscourge
Conqueror of the Stars… may reek of vainglory and overwriting, but don’t be fooled: Starscourge are exhilarating. Bharoocha’s riffs tap into the fullest majesty of black metal (“The Shattering”) and melodeath’s sharpest hooks (“I Am the Starscourge”), even indulging in NWOBHM-isms on “The Battle of Aeonia.” MK’s growls resemble a mix of Aeternam’s Achraf Loudiy and Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, while his cleans recall both Borknagar’s ICS Vortex and, when he breaks out the falsettos, King Diamond. Conqueror of the Stars… rages from start to finish,1 whether by propulsive chops on “Whereunto Frenzy Beckoneth” or furious tremolos on “Destiny’s Dastardly Dynasty,” and Bharoocha’s leads and solos approach Moonlight Sorcery levels of show-off-ness in their technicality (“Blessings Upon the Golden Throne”). Starscourge also prove expert editors, as everything but “The Battle of Aeonia” sits tight at three to four minutes of no fat, all muscle goodness.2 Starscourge could’ve afforded to put on some weight, as both “Blessings Upon the Golden Order” and “I Am the Starscourge” end somewhat anticlimactically. Like Elden Ring, Conqueror of the Stars… brings the goods in great quantity without resorting to padding.
But there’s no avoiding Starscourge’s Achilles heel: insistence upon voice acting. Opener “Betwixt Sundered Seraphim…” sees Starscourge read off one of Elden Ring’s trailer scripts in an unconvincing Shakespearean inflection over boring synths, failing to either achieve the dramatic pulse of the original read or excite the listener. This is the least offensive spoken word moment on the album, however, because it at least doesn’t distract from a good instrumental. Too often, a bruising riff (“Destiny’s Dastardly Dynasty”), half a solo (“The Shattering”), or a slow build-up (“The Battle of Aeonia”) is buried under cringey monologue that doesn’t immerse the listener into the story any better than a compelling instrumental could’ve. Given voice acting’s prominent role in Conqueror of the Stars…, it’s clear that Starscourge think of it as an integral factor of their style. I don’t. It’s boring, a bit silly, and stands in conflict with the rest of the music. Conqueror of the Stars… is already an engrossing, deeply dramatic record without it, so why insist upon it?3
But even with Starscourge’s voice acting woes, not to mention less-than-thrilling mixing and mastering,4 Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed is a monumentally entertaining record. Both grandiose and lean, the few but notable hiccups this album has just barely held my hand from shattering the Score Safety Box one last time this year. Whether you abide by the frenzy of black metal or live in death, or just really like Elden Ring, Conqueror of the Stars… is an easy recommendation. Bear witness!
Rating: Very Good…
#2025 #35 #Aeternam #BlackenedDeathMetal #Borknagar #ConquerorOfTheStarsBetwixtSunderedSeraphimTheLandsBetweenBleed #Dec25 #FellOmen #InternationalMetal #KingDiamond #LambOfGod #MoonlightSorcery #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #Slayer #Starscourge
DR: 6… | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3…
Label: Self-Release…
Websites: facebook.com/official.starscourge | starscourgeofficial.bandcamp.com …
Releases Worldwide: December 19th, 2025… -
Starscourge – Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed Review By Andy-War-Hall
Fromsoftware’s behemoth action-RPG Elden Ring is an enigma. How a game so obtuse, difficult, and uniquely itself in its visuals and storytelling became the blockbuster that it is baffles me, and it’s one of those precious pieces of art that simply makes me happy to live in the same world as it. It’s also metal as anything can be. Bands like Fell Omen have tapped into the game’s mythology for inspiration before and, now, the international blackened death duo Starscourge enter the fray with their debut Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed. Promising serious riffage and an emphasis on storytelling, instrumentalist Zul Bharoocha (Sweden) and vocalist Mithun MK (Singapore) have already overcome one great obstacle by getting this thing made at all. But what did Starscourge achieve with Conqueror of the Stars…? I doubt you could even imagine it…
Conqueror of the Stars…’s full title is comically verbose, but it foreshadows the sheer opulent regality exuded by Starscourge. The band masterfully captures Elden Ring’s demi-deific power struggle through massive riff-craft supported by extravagant (synth) orchestration and choir. “Ranni’s Requiem – A Night of Black Knives” imposes regal grandiosity through overwhelming choirs and guitar leads, while the weight with which “The Battle of Aeonia” heaves itself feels genuinely symphonic. “Athwart Hereditary Taint, Thence Doth the Valkyrie Ride” wields a wonderful balance of airy dueling guitars and piano and blistering, throat-shredding black metal, standing in contrast to the maniacal, overtly evil decadence of “Together, My Serpentine Valentine” immediately following. Even the Slayer cover “Spirit in Black” sounds opulent, imbuing MK’s Araya impersonation with the arrogant pomp suited to a Golden Order lord of Elden Ring. If you like your metal as haughty as it is heavy, Starscourge is your band and Conqueror of the Stars… is your album.
Athwart Hereditary Taint, Thence Doth The Valkyrie Ride by Starscourge
Conqueror of the Stars… may reek of vainglory and overwriting, but don’t be fooled: Starscourge are exhilarating. Bharoocha’s riffs tap into the fullest majesty of black metal (“The Shattering”) and melodeath’s sharpest hooks (“I Am the Starscourge”), even indulging in NWOBHM-isms on “The Battle of Aeonia.” MK’s growls resemble a mix of Aeternam’s Achraf Loudiy and Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, while his cleans recall both Borknagar’s ICS Vortex and, when he breaks out the falsettos, King Diamond. Conqueror of the Stars… rages from start to finish,1 whether by propulsive chops on “Whereunto Frenzy Beckoneth” or furious tremolos on “Destiny’s Dastardly Dynasty,” and Bharoocha’s leads and solos approach Moonlight Sorcery levels of show-off-ness in their technicality (“Blessings Upon the Golden Throne”). Starscourge also prove expert editors, as everything but “The Battle of Aeonia” sits tight at three to four minutes of no fat, all muscle goodness.2 Starscourge could’ve afforded to put on some weight, as both “Blessings Upon the Golden Order” and “I Am the Starscourge” end somewhat anticlimactically. Like Elden Ring, Conqueror of the Stars… brings the goods in great quantity without resorting to padding.
But there’s no avoiding Starscourge’s Achilles heel: insistence upon voice acting. Opener “Betwixt Sundered Seraphim…” sees Starscourge read off one of Elden Ring’s trailer scripts in an unconvincing Shakespearean inflection over boring synths, failing to either achieve the dramatic pulse of the original read or excite the listener. This is the least offensive spoken word moment on the album, however, because it at least doesn’t distract from a good instrumental. Too often, a bruising riff (“Destiny’s Dastardly Dynasty”), half a solo (“The Shattering”), or a slow build-up (“The Battle of Aeonia”) is buried under cringey monologue that doesn’t immerse the listener into the story any better than a compelling instrumental could’ve. Given voice acting’s prominent role in Conqueror of the Stars…, it’s clear that Starscourge think of it as an integral factor of their style. I don’t. It’s boring, a bit silly, and stands in conflict with the rest of the music. Conqueror of the Stars… is already an engrossing, deeply dramatic record without it, so why insist upon it?3
But even with Starscourge’s voice acting woes, not to mention less-than-thrilling mixing and mastering,4 Conqueror of the Stars – Betwixt Sundered Seraphim, the Lands Between Bleed is a monumentally entertaining record. Both grandiose and lean, the few but notable hiccups this album has just barely held my hand from shattering the Score Safety Box one last time this year. Whether you abide by the frenzy of black metal or live in death, or just really like Elden Ring, Conqueror of the Stars… is an easy recommendation. Bear witness!
Rating: Very Good…
#2025 #35 #Aeternam #BlackenedDeathMetal #Borknagar #ConquerorOfTheStarsBetwixtSunderedSeraphimTheLandsBetweenBleed #Dec25 #FellOmen #InternationalMetal #KingDiamond #LambOfGod #MoonlightSorcery #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #Slayer #Starscourge
DR: 6… | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3…
Label: Self-Release…
Websites: facebook.com/official.starscourge | starscourgeofficial.bandcamp.com …
Releases Worldwide: December 19th, 2025… -
Good day everyone! The ReliaQuest Threat Research team recently provided a wrap up of the most commonly used loaders, the top 80% which comprised of only three different malware! These big three are #QBot, #SocGholish, and #RaspberryRobin. THEN, they not only provided the data sheet to provide to your management or C-suite, they broke them down even further to include technical details as well! Thank you to the Threat Research team for such a great report, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and Happy Hunting!
The 3 Malware Loaders Behind 80% of Incidents
https://www.reliaquest.com/blog/the-3-malware-loaders-behind-80-of-incidents/#CyberSecurity #ITSecurity #InfoSec #BlueTeam #ThreatIntel #ThreatHunting #ThreatDetection #HappyHunting #readoftheday
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Good day everyone! The Microsoft Threat Intelligence team has discovered activity from a group known as #FlaxTyphoon. They are a nation-state group from China that targeted organizations in Taiwan. While the group leverages tools that are commonly used, like #ChinaChopper, #MetaSploit, and #Mimikatz, they also rely on abusing #LOLBINS, or Living-off-the-land binaries and scripts (tools that exist and come with the native operating system). Some of their TTPs include using registry key modification for persistence, using #powershell, #certutil, or #bitsadmin to download tools, and accessing #LSASS process memory and Security Account Manager registry hive for credential access. This is a great article that not only provides high-level details but it provides a starting point for any organization to start threat hunting by using the technical details provided! Enjoy your weekend and #HappyHunting!
#CyberSecurity #ITSecurity #InfoSec #BlueTeam #ThreatIntel #ThreatHunting #ThreatDetection #readoftheday
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Whispers of Fate review
The Story
The drama is technically xuanhuan with some wuxia-ish elements thrown in: it’s both genre-bending and experimental. At its core, it revolved around Tang Lici (Luo Yunxi) and Liu Yan (Alen Fang), two characters with a complicated history involving a misunderstanding over what Liu Yan thought Tang Lici did to someone they both loved. Due to this, Liu Yan decided to kill hordes of people just to frame Tang Lici for revenge.
However, the CDrama also covered an expansive world where immortal beings were trying to manipulate and control humans for their own purposes. Tang Lici and Liu Yan’s conflict was just a side effect of this.
What I Liked
I was intrigued by Luo Yunxi and Fang Yilun’s characters, Tang Lici and Liu Yan, and I definitely liked the twisted dynamic between the two. I appreciated the philosophical concepts that the drama wove through the story (when I wasn’t distracted by the shiny headgear). I just felt that its best qualities were fogged up by the frippery and fluff.
The martial arts and special effects were dazzling. I get what people mean by Luo Yunxi looking really good when executing the martial arts moves. It was enjoyable to watch, though I’m more of a Cao Jun real-life martial arts moves kind of person. Still, it was very pleasing to watch.
The experimentation was fun. I also liked that it was trying to be out-of-the-box, genre-wise. It was both wuxia-ish and xuanhuan-ish. I love this kind of creativity, and that’s partly why I started watching.
It was just a pity that I had to go through … a lot to get to the parts I enjoyed.
What I Didn’t Like
The Costumes
I was actually looking forward to Whispers of Fate despite my deep reservations about the styling. It reminded me too much of Till the End of the Moon, and I was majorly turned off by the styling there.Unfortunately, as predicted, the styling and character designs were off-putting to me.
I cringed each time Liu Yan appeared with his over-the-top costume.
You see, I have an easily distracted brain. Instead of focusing on what Liu Yan was saying, my brain – which has the attention span of a toddler – was immediately fixated on the bazillion baubles shining and twinkling in his hair. And then my brain went down a rabbit hole of wondering how Liu Yan put those baubles in his hair every day.
Then, I realized I hadn’t been listening, but then another character appeared with lots of blinky-winky things on his robes and my brain was again mesmerized by the baubles.
So, okay, this is probably a me problem, but seriously, Alen Fang and Luo Yunxi are gorgeous so they really don’t need to overdo things with them, ya know? I’m not sure why the production team thought it was a good idea, but perhaps it was all to bank on the Till the End of the Moon signature look… my theory anyway.
Purple Filming
You know the term “purple prose,” when writing is (to quote Google): “excessively elaborate, ornate, or flowery”? Generally considered bad writing.
Well, the storytelling, directing, and filming style of Whispers of Fate is what I call Purple Filming.
Characters posed after pausing for a few minutes to make a profound (presumably) statement. There were many slow-motion shots where the camera lovingly lingered on the chiseled contours of our hero’s face.
This was far more apparent in the first two episodes, by the way. The show seemed to tone it down by the fifth episode, except during battles, where you could be sure they would Strike A Pose.
The Acting Quality Was Not Great
And it didn’t help that some characters overacted or couldn’t act. Sigh. The less said the better (lest their fandoms come after me), but at least Luo Yunxi performed decently, though I wished Fang Yilun wasn’t so over-the-top with the moustache-twirling evilness. (I really don’t think he can do villain roles very well.)The Core of the Story Was… Annoying
One of the tactics I use when I’m lukewarm about a drama is to spoil myself. Yup! I did that with Feud and ended up thoroughly enjoying it… only because I realized that beyond the abysmally slow start, there was a story I could root for.
I thought I could do the same for Whispers of Fate, but the more I found out about the story, the more I was like… are you for real?
Essentially, it’s the tale of two besties who had a falling out, and who should be locked in a room so they can finally talk it out.
Yes, I’m sure the “why” would be revealed eventually, but for those not in love with circles of miscommunication, it could be an excruciating wait for clarity.
Bloated Storytelling
I feel like I shouldn’t over-explain this, but the show took too long to get to the point. I was also mystified by why some characters were even there – I didn’t know what our female characters’ roles were, for one. There were also a few side characters who popped in when our hero was doing the mystery-solving bits, whom I promptly forgot about once they exited.
The Fandom Interactions Disgusted Me
The social media discourse around this drama (especially on Chinese platforms) was awful. Fans attacked anyone who dared to say anything negative about the drama. The comments had a curiously single narrative: If you don’t appreciate Whispers, it’s because you can only watch brainless stuff – aka, you’re too stupid to appreciate it. (Did they huddle together to come up with this excuse?)
Even fans of the drama complained about being silenced for saying anything negative, noting that they couldn’t even comment that the dubbing seemed off as it didn’t sync with the actors’ lips.
As a person who loved What a Wonderful World and Three-Body, I think I have a solid 🧠 in my noggin’. My taste is just different. However, the behaviour of the fandom was so bad that I’ve placed Luo Yunxi dramas in the “do not watch” category to spare myself from reading their interactions ever again. Petty? Yes. But I’d like to spare myself the mental pain.
However, not all Chinese fans are that unhinged. There were some who actually loved the drama and were less fandom-driven, who gave their honest thoughts, such as in this post below:
“Are we starting with the senseless angst trope? Shui Long Yin, you’d better hang in there!
Finished watching 31 episodes of the main story + 34 episode previews, and I’m a bit disappointed.
I don’t understand why the director made Tang Lici under the Bronze Tree look so miserable and so full of stares that it made me uncomfortable. This scene should have been about evoking empathy, not emphasizing shattered beauty.
Thinking about it, Tang Lici is always miserable. His throat has been cut, he’s been stabbed (more than once), he’s coughed up blood countless times, and this time he’s literally skewered like a kebab. He’s basically the ‘Final Destination’ of the Chinese entertainment industry.
I’ve held back my opinions on this, but today I just can’t. On one side, you have Tang Lici being brutally tortured and unable to wake up, while on the other, Liu Yan is completely unharmed and wreaking havoc on Haoyun Mountain.
Every time Tang Lici and Liu Yan go head-to-head, only Tang Lici gets hurt. Liu Yan is the perfect Heavenly Body; he’s never weakened or damaged, always has his full combat power, and can freeze Shao Yanping in a second or break the protective mountain formation of the Central Plains Sword Assembly with a single song.
I can understand that Tang Lici’s self-healing is affected by the heart crystal, but you can’t emphasize that he’s the closest to a perfect Saint Body while constantly showing his broken body! Isn’t that a contradiction?
A character like Liu Yan, who’s completely insane, makes me feel he’s used too many Gu insects and they’ve eaten his brain. He admires Zhou Fang so much, has he never woken up in the middle of the night and remembered Zhou Fang’s teachings?
This character has started to feel like a plot device. For the sake of the story, Liu Yan needs to be a complete psycho. But this so-called ‘perfect’ Heavenly Body, Tang Lici, is nearly killed by this psycho.
In the 34th episode preview, Gui Mudan is going to turn against the others, and I’m worried about how the plot will unfold from here.
After all this buildup—philosophical debates, subtle foreshadowing, and such a complex world setting—to have it all boil down to a single verse of Yin and Yang wanting to be resurrected… if that’s the case, I can only describe it as anticlimactic.
Such a simple motive can’t support the massive buildup that came before.
The writers love leaving suspense and planting foreshadowing; intricate plots are a good thing. But don’t overcorrect and turn it into just showing off skills. Any narrative technique must serve the story itself. Being obsessed with ‘plot twists’ but forgetting the story’s origin and ending, where the form surpasses the content, is ultimately not worth it.”
Source: http://xhslink.com/o/46GGH437C2WI felt validated when the reviewer said how the complex plots, culture, and philosophical debates were just garnishing for a weak plot.
Unlike most international viewers, I’m not impressed by these things. I could see how the drama tried waaaay too hard to be profound. A good story doesn’t need all these philosophical debates and cultural bling-bling to be truly deep. Look at A Moment But Forever, whose style is very simple and whose culture is reflected in the actions of the characters, not in long-winded debates about fate.
So, I wasn’t imagining things – my review was spot on! I felt like a genius for having concluded this by episode 8.
At the end of the day, the directors leaned too much on fanservice: making Luo Yunxi look like a “fragile, tragic, broken” character because that’s what his hardcore fans love.
Whispers of Fate is the ultimate hurt/comfort fiction, and most dramas don’t go there like this one did.
Why I Dropped the Drama
All I know is after watching 8-9 episodes, I just couldn’t get into it. The main culprits: I was unable to appreciate the aesthetic and the acting – it was too over-the-top for me.
But the main killer was the ineffective storytelling, and how the drama dragged out the miscommunication between our main characters for so long.
I’m also really not into (okay, I dislike) the tragic, fragile, misunderstood hero who is inches from dying trope. I was okay with Li Lianhua from Mysterious Lotus Casebook, but that was generally a solid wuxia and they didn’t dig into the trope so intensely like this drama does.
I kept up with the drama by reading recaps on xiaohongshu (Chinese social media) until the end. All I can say is that I was right – it’s not a show I could enjoy. A lot of people do, however. But not for me, and my time is too precious.
It’s a pity because reading the plot points of later episodes, the world does sound interesting.
It’s just that the thought of having to slog through this drama’s convoluted storytelling exhausted me.
Some dramas I enjoy like a yummy dessert; some are kinda like soup where you need to hunt for the good bits and fork out the unpleasant bits. I am just not the target audience.
But Maybe You May Like It
There are folks like me who are turned off by the purple filming and the plot revolving around miscommunication, but there are also people swearing up and down that it’s the most profound thing they’ve watched.
I’ve come to conclude: different strokes for different folks.
I think those who appreciate this drama love the emotional intensity it gives them. They get to experience the emotional highs and lows of the characters, and this drama excels at that.
The viewers who don’t, tend to appreciate structure and technical details more and are only swayed by the emotional intensity if this is supported by the writing and characterisation. I belong to this group.
Anyway, despite my sharp words about this drama, I truly wanted to enjoy it. I really did see potential in the story between Liu Yan and Tang Lici. But you can’t disguise a weak story with a convoluted storyline, over-the-top Chinese styling, and call it profound.
Final verdict: Dropped
I found it an overperformative attempt at telling a grand fantasy opus, but it felt flat.