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345 results for “tedivm”
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🚀 Ah, another day, another #CVE nobody asked for. Humans vs. #AI in a race to exploit #Exim, because *obviously* that's what we need—Skynet learning to hack email servers. 😂 But hey, at least the buzzwords and pentest pitches are here to save us from the tedium of actual #security work. 📉
https://xbow.com/blog/dead-letter-cve-2026-45185-xbow-found-rce-exim #Skynet #Hacking #HackerNews #ngated -
🚀 Ah, another day, another #CVE nobody asked for. Humans vs. #AI in a race to exploit #Exim, because *obviously* that's what we need—Skynet learning to hack email servers. 😂 But hey, at least the buzzwords and pentest pitches are here to save us from the tedium of actual #security work. 📉
https://xbow.com/blog/dead-letter-cve-2026-45185-xbow-found-rce-exim #Skynet #Hacking #HackerNews #ngated -
🚀 Ah, another day, another #CVE nobody asked for. Humans vs. #AI in a race to exploit #Exim, because *obviously* that's what we need—Skynet learning to hack email servers. 😂 But hey, at least the buzzwords and pentest pitches are here to save us from the tedium of actual #security work. 📉
https://xbow.com/blog/dead-letter-cve-2026-45185-xbow-found-rce-exim #Skynet #Hacking #HackerNews #ngated -
🚀 Ah, another day, another #CVE nobody asked for. Humans vs. #AI in a race to exploit #Exim, because *obviously* that's what we need—Skynet learning to hack email servers. 😂 But hey, at least the buzzwords and pentest pitches are here to save us from the tedium of actual #security work. 📉
https://xbow.com/blog/dead-letter-cve-2026-45185-xbow-found-rce-exim #Skynet #Hacking #HackerNews #ngated -
🚀 Ah, another day, another #CVE nobody asked for. Humans vs. #AI in a race to exploit #Exim, because *obviously* that's what we need—Skynet learning to hack email servers. 😂 But hey, at least the buzzwords and pentest pitches are here to save us from the tedium of actual #security work. 📉
https://xbow.com/blog/dead-letter-cve-2026-45185-xbow-found-rce-exim #Skynet #Hacking #HackerNews #ngated -
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: Brilliant Update of 1997 Classic ☄️
It took us much longer than expected to get to the Final Fantasy VII Remake (Intergrade). A big update by Square Enix of the legendary FFVII on the PlayStation, it’s a fan favourite from the series and its epic themes were ideal for a big overhaul.
Remake launched in 2020 as an action role-playing game, at first on PS4 before making its way to the PC. Finally, in January 2026, there were ports for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles.
We got the Switch 2 version and happily dove on it. What we found was a heavily cinematic idealised title, but one that can often be a wonder (even if it occasionally mires itself in some AAA tedium).
The Emotive Sweep of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uv3Zd6LO8s?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Squaresoft launched Final Fantasy VII in 1997. The company became Square Enix in 2003 after merging with the developer Enix. Even though the FF series continues to this day, the peak years are considered the SNES outings and then FFVII on the PlayStation.
As FFVII is one of our favourite games. We first got to play it on the PC port in 1998 and fell in love with it.
As an RPG, its epic story and dramatic characters, amazing soundtrack, and everything else just swept us along with the whole shingdig. Although the original’s blocky graphics show their age, they have a real charm to them.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utVE4aUKYuY?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Once the news of the long-awaited remake was announce, we were worried Square would do AAA trope stuff for the sake of graphics snobs who wanted a graphical overhaul.
However, Final Fantasy VII Remake is much more than just a graphics update. It’s a very impressive reimagining of the original story, with new arcs, complexities, game mechanics, and characterisation. Frankly, within hours we were swept along with it all and think the remake is a total triumph. A magnificent beast!
FFVII Remake Overhauls (and improves) the Iconic Narrative
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOA5GwRcBks?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]The great thing Square has done here is do much more than modernise the graphics. The dev has also given the genuinely brilliant, emotive story a big update and expanded on the concepts of the 1997 original.
Some of the updates are subtle, others major, but on the whole these are all very well done. And show that Remake is much more than a pandering to graphics snobs wailing about a lack of 60fps.
As pretty as the game now looks, what kept us coming back to Remake night after night for three hour runs is that story.
The Remake is a trilogy, with the second installment launched in February 2024, and the third outing is due for release in 2026 or 2027. This first outing focusses in on what’s about a one to three hour segment in the original game, where players are in the radical eco-terrorist movement AVALANCHE.
In the metropolis city of Midgar, you take control of the mercenary Cloud Strife. He’s hired as a one-off to blow up a reactor in the megacorporation of Shinra. He’s initially just out for money, but soon gets drawn into a sprawling story of love, loss, grief, and environmental collapse.
For us, that was our favourite bit of the original game. The opening hour is magnificent.
For Remake, the entire first installment is an expansion of Cloud’s time in Midgar. Brilliant! A full 30 hours or so of that opening segment, so there’s nothing to complain about from us.
It’s genuinely one of the best video game narratives out there. We’ve been critical of video game narratives in general on Professional Moron, mainly in modern AAA games as they’re often so poorly done. AAA games are like having to watch a terrible movie.
But FFVII Remake Intergrade is largely a big success. It helps that the story from 30 years ago was already there, but the expansions of plot and themes are done intelligently and with great compassion.
Central to that is Cloud’s friendship with a young lady called Aerith, a brilliant human being who stands as a beacon of light amongst the economic collapse and corruption of Shinra.
The CRUNCH of the Gameplay and Those Melancholic Moments
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elBvGD9qujk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]The original FFVII merged a combat system alongside the deep and emotive storyline, plus a genuine sense of melancholia. It’s a game about capitalism destroying the world, with the head of Shinra a cold and calculating psychopath.
Away from the story, which is what drives the game, Remake offers a fleshed out combat system. Square Enix has been great here and offered all sorts of difficulty settings to accommodate for different playing types.
Before you begin, you can set things to be super tough or super easy. It’s really welcoming and allows everyone to experience the game the way they want to (something devs like Team Cherry need to keep in mind).
Combat is good fun, but can get a bit repetitive. Plus, the gameplay experience is surprisingly linear, alongside some of the more tedious AAA game tropes added into the mix. Mainly in the form of side quests, which are just the usual “I’ve lost several chickens, go and collect the chickens” filler. For us, it added little to the experience other than fleshing out the game length artificially.
Some of the dialogue and voice acting can be cringeworthy, too, but the whole it’s well done. Even the comically oversexualised Tifa, in the most revealing outfit imaginable, has a clearly defined character. She’s a great human being, compassionate and confident.
Players are also always encouraged, led by Square Enix at regular turns, to just stop and bask in life’s moments.
Its philosophical in that reach, expecting you to think of your own existence and sense of mortality. FFVII is about several very brave people putting their precious lives to one side in the name of something greater.
As the player, you’re very much part of that. Living out the dramatic experience.
And the glorious thing about Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade? This is part one of a trilogy. The game fully deserves this treatment, a masterpiece of gaming modernised in the best possible way.
And a Nod to FFVII Remake’s Musical Overhaul
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zboO7UCUE8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]On a final note, we’ve done a full feature on Final Fantasy VII Remake’s soundtrack. Remake offers a big reimagining of the original 1997 score, updated by the composers Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki.
The composer for the 1997 original score, Nobuo Uematsu, made one contribution. Otherwise, the work includes new arrangements of his brilliant work 30 years ago.
Credit to the team and what they’ve done here, faithfully recreating classic old pieces whilst fleshing out the main soundtrack with new compositions. It’s a vast score, too, with over 150 pieces and totalling eight hours in length. Square Enix’s official soundtrack release is a seven CD set!
They weren’t messing around with this whole project. Everyone involved put in maximum effort to build on the legacy of the original and from the music to the core gameplay, everything is rather magnificent.
#FinalFantasy #FinalFantasyVII #FinalFantasyVIIRemake #FinalFantasyVIIRemakeIntergrade #gaming #Lifestyle #RetroGaming #RPG #SquareEnix #VideoGames -
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: Brilliant Update of 1997 Classic ☄️
It took us much longer than expected to get to the Final Fantasy VII Remake (Intergrade). A big update by Square Enix of the legendary FFVII on the PlayStation, it’s a fan favourite from the series and its epic themes were ideal for a big overhaul.
Remake launched in 2020 as an action role-playing game, at first on PS4 before making its way to the PC. Finally, in January 2026, there were ports for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles.
We got the Switch 2 version and happily dove on it. What we found was a heavily cinematic idealised title, but one that can often be a wonder (even if it occasionally mires itself in some AAA tedium).
The Emotive Sweep of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uv3Zd6LO8s&w=723&h=407]Squaresoft launched Final Fantasy VII in 1997. The company became Square Enix in 2003 after merging with the developer Enix. Even though the FF series continues to this day, the peak years are considered the SNES outings and then FFVII on the PlayStation.
As FFVII is one of our favourite games. We first got to play it on the PC port in 1998 and fell in love with it.
As an RPG, its epic story and dramatic characters, amazing soundtrack, and everything else just swept us along with the whole shingdig. Although the original’s blocky graphics show their age, they have a real charm to them.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utVE4aUKYuY&w=723&h=407]Once the news of the long-awaited remake was announce, we were worried Square would do AAA trope stuff for the sake of graphics snobs who wanted a graphical overhaul.
However, Final Fantasy VII Remake is much more than just a graphics update. It’s a very impressive reimagining of the original story, with new arcs, complexities, game mechanics, and characterisation. Frankly, within hours we were swept along with it all and think the remake is a total triumph. A magnificent beast!
FFVII Remake Overhauls (and improves) the Iconic Narrative
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOA5GwRcBks&w=723&h=407]The great thing Square has done here is do much more than modernise the graphics. The dev has also given the genuinely brilliant, emotive story a big update and expanded on the concepts of the 1997 original.
Some of the updates are subtle, others major, but on the whole these are all very well done. And show that Remake is much more than a pandering to graphics snobs wailing about a lack of 60fps.
As pretty as the game now looks, what kept us coming back to Remake night after night for three hour runs is that story.
The Remake is a trilogy, with the second installment launched in February 2024, and the third outing is due for release in 2026 or 2027. This first outing focusses in on what’s about a one to three hour segment in the original game, where players are in the radical eco-terrorist movement AVALANCHE.
In the metropolis city of Midgar, you take control of the mercenary Cloud Strife. He’s hired as a one-off to blow up a reactor in the megacorporation of Shinra. He’s initially just out for money, but soon gets drawn into a sprawling story of love, loss, grief, and environmental collapse.
For us, that was our favourite bit of the original game. The opening hour is magnificent.
For Remake, the entire first installment is an expansion of Cloud’s time in Midgar. Brilliant! A full 30 hours or so of that opening segment, so there’s nothing to complain about from us.
It’s genuinely one of the best video game narratives out there. We’ve been critical of video game narratives in general on Professional Moron, mainly in modern AAA games as they’re often so poorly done. AAA games are like having to watch a terrible movie.
But FFVII Remake Intergrade is largely a big success. It helps that the story from 30 years ago was already there, but the expansions of plot and themes are done intelligently and with great compassion.
Central to that is Cloud’s friendship with a young lady called Aerith, a brilliant human being who stands as a beacon of light amongst the economic collapse and corruption of Shinra.
The CRUNCH of the Gameplay and Those Melancholic Moments
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elBvGD9qujk&w=723&h=407]The original FFVII merged a combat system alongside the deep and emotive storyline, plus a genuine sense of melancholia. It’s a game about capitalism destroying the world, with the head of Shinra a cold and calculating psychopath.
Away from the story, which is what drives the game, Remake offers a fleshed out combat system. Square Enix has been great here and offered all sorts of difficulty settings to accommodate for different playing types.
Before you begin, you can set things to be super tough or super easy. It’s really welcoming and allows everyone to experience the game the way they want to (something devs like Team Cherry need to keep in mind).
Combat is good fun, but can get a bit repetitive. Plus, the gameplay experience is surprisingly linear, alongside some of the more tedious AAA game tropes added into the mix. Mainly in the form of side quests, which are just the usual “I’ve lost several chickens, go and collect the chickens” filler. For us, it added little to the experience other than fleshing out the game length artificially.
Some of the dialogue and voice acting can be cringeworthy, too, but the whole it’s well done. Even the comically oversexualised Tifa, in the most revealing outfit imaginable, has a clearly defined character. She’s a great human being, compassionate and confident.
Players are also always encouraged, led by Square Enix at regular turns, to just stop and bask in life’s moments.
Its philosophical in that reach, expecting you to think of your own existence and sense of mortality. FFVII is about several very brave people putting their precious lives to one side in the name of something greater.
As the player, you’re very much part of that. Living out the dramatic experience.
And the glorious thing about Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade? This is part one of a trilogy. The game fully deserves this treatment, a masterpiece of gaming modernised in the best possible way.
And a Nod to FFVII Remake’s Musical Overhaul
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zboO7UCUE8&w=723&h=407]On a final note, we’ve done a full feature on Final Fantasy VII Remake’s soundtrack. Remake offers a big reimagining of the original 1997 score, updated by the composers Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki.
The composer for the 1997 original score, Nobuo Uematsu, made one contribution. Otherwise, the work includes new arrangements of his brilliant work 30 years ago.
Credit to the team and what they’ve done here, faithfully recreating classic old pieces whilst fleshing out the main soundtrack with new compositions. It’s a vast score, too, with over 150 pieces and totalling eight hours in length. Square Enix’s official soundtrack release is a seven CD set!
They weren’t messing around with this whole project. Everyone involved put in maximum effort to build on the legacy of the original and from the music to the core gameplay, everything is rather magnificent.
#FinalFantasy #FinalFantasyVII #FinalFantasyVIIRemake #FinalFantasyVIIRemakeIntergrade #gaming #Lifestyle #RetroGaming #RPG #SquareEnix #VideoGames -
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: Brilliant Update of 1997 Classic ☄️
It took us much longer than expected to get to the Final Fantasy VII Remake (Intergrade). A big update by Square Enix of the legendary FFVII on the PlayStation, it’s a fan favourite from the series and its epic themes were ideal for a big overhaul.
Remake launched in 2020 as an action role-playing game, at first on PS4 before making its way to the PC. Finally, in January 2026, there were ports for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles.
We got the Switch 2 version and happily dove on it. What we found was a heavily cinematic idealised title, but one that can often be a wonder (even if it occasionally mires itself in some AAA tedium).
The Emotive Sweep of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uv3Zd6LO8s?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Squaresoft launched Final Fantasy VII in 1997. The company became Square Enix in 2003 after merging with the developer Enix. Even though the FF series continues to this day, the peak years are considered the SNES outings and then FFVII on the PlayStation.
As FFVII is one of our favourite games. We first got to play it on the PC port in 1998 and fell in love with it.
As an RPG, its epic story and dramatic characters, amazing soundtrack, and everything else just swept us along with the whole shingdig. Although the original’s blocky graphics show their age, they have a real charm to them.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utVE4aUKYuY?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Once the news of the long-awaited remake was announce, we were worried Square would do AAA trope stuff for the sake of graphics snobs who wanted a graphical overhaul.
However, Final Fantasy VII Remake is much more than just a graphics update. It’s a very impressive reimagining of the original story, with new arcs, complexities, game mechanics, and characterisation. Frankly, within hours we were swept along with it all and think the remake is a total triumph. A magnificent beast!
FFVII Remake Overhauls (and improves) the Iconic Narrative
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOA5GwRcBks?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]The great thing Square has done here is do much more than modernise the graphics. The dev has also given the genuinely brilliant, emotive story a big update and expanded on the concepts of the 1997 original.
Some of the updates are subtle, others major, but on the whole these are all very well done. And show that Remake is much more than a pandering to graphics snobs wailing about a lack of 60fps.
As pretty as the game now looks, what kept us coming back to Remake night after night for three hour runs is that story.
The Remake is a trilogy, with the second installment launched in February 2024, and the third outing is due for release in 2026 or 2027. This first outing focusses in on what’s about a one to three hour segment in the original game, where players are in the radical eco-terrorist movement AVALANCHE.
In the metropolis city of Midgar, you take control of the mercenary Cloud Strife. He’s hired as a one-off to blow up a reactor in the megacorporation of Shinra. He’s initially just out for money, but soon gets drawn into a sprawling story of love, loss, grief, and environmental collapse.
For us, that was our favourite bit of the original game. The opening hour is magnificent.
For Remake, the entire first installment is an expansion of Cloud’s time in Midgar. Brilliant! A full 30 hours or so of that opening segment, so there’s nothing to complain about from us.
It’s genuinely one of the best video game narratives out there. We’ve been critical of video game narratives in general on Professional Moron, mainly in modern AAA games as they’re often so poorly done. AAA games are like having to watch a terrible movie.
But FFVII Remake Intergrade is largely a big success. It helps that the story from 30 years ago was already there, but the expansions of plot and themes are done intelligently and with great compassion.
Central to that is Cloud’s friendship with a young lady called Aerith, a brilliant human being who stands as a beacon of light amongst the economic collapse and corruption of Shinra.
The CRUNCH of the Gameplay and Those Melancholic Moments
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elBvGD9qujk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]The original FFVII merged a combat system alongside the deep and emotive storyline, plus a genuine sense of melancholia. It’s a game about capitalism destroying the world, with the head of Shinra a cold and calculating psychopath.
Away from the story, which is what drives the game, Remake offers a fleshed out combat system. Square Enix has been great here and offered all sorts of difficulty settings to accommodate for different playing types.
Before you begin, you can set things to be super tough or super easy. It’s really welcoming and allows everyone to experience the game the way they want to (something devs like Team Cherry need to keep in mind).
Combat is good fun, but can get a bit repetitive. Plus, the gameplay experience is surprisingly linear, alongside some of the more tedious AAA game tropes added into the mix. Mainly in the form of side quests, which are just the usual “I’ve lost several chickens, go and collect the chickens” filler. For us, it added little to the experience other than fleshing out the game length artificially.
Some of the dialogue and voice acting can be cringeworthy, too, but the whole it’s well done. Even the comically oversexualised Tifa, in the most revealing outfit imaginable, has a clearly defined character. She’s a great human being, compassionate and confident.
Players are also always encouraged, led by Square Enix at regular turns, to just stop and bask in life’s moments.
Its philosophical in that reach, expecting you to think of your own existence and sense of mortality. FFVII is about several very brave people putting their precious lives to one side in the name of something greater.
As the player, you’re very much part of that. Living out the dramatic experience.
And the glorious thing about Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade? This is part one of a trilogy. The game fully deserves this treatment, a masterpiece of gaming modernised in the best possible way.
And a Nod to FFVII Remake’s Musical Overhaul
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zboO7UCUE8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]On a final note, we’ve done a full feature on Final Fantasy VII Remake’s soundtrack. Remake offers a big reimagining of the original 1997 score, updated by the composers Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki.
The composer for the 1997 original score, Nobuo Uematsu, made one contribution. Otherwise, the work includes new arrangements of his brilliant work 30 years ago.
Credit to the team and what they’ve done here, faithfully recreating classic old pieces whilst fleshing out the main soundtrack with new compositions. It’s a vast score, too, with over 150 pieces and totalling eight hours in length. Square Enix’s official soundtrack release is a seven CD set!
They weren’t messing around with this whole project. Everyone involved put in maximum effort to build on the legacy of the original and from the music to the core gameplay, everything is rather magnificent.
#FinalFantasy #FinalFantasyVII #FinalFantasyVIIRemake #FinalFantasyVIIRemakeIntergrade #gaming #Lifestyle #RetroGaming #RPG #SquareEnix #VideoGames -
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: Brilliant Update of 1997 Classic ☄️
It took us much longer than expected to get to the Final Fantasy VII Remake (Intergrade). A big update by Square Enix of the legendary FFVII on the PlayStation, it’s a fan favourite from the series and its epic themes were ideal for a big overhaul.
Remake launched in 2020 as an action role-playing game, at first on PS4 before making its way to the PC. Finally, in January 2026, there were ports for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles.
We got the Switch 2 version and happily dove on it. What we found was a heavily cinematic idealised title, but one that can often be a wonder (even if it occasionally mires itself in some AAA tedium).
The Emotive Sweep of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uv3Zd6LO8s?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Squaresoft launched Final Fantasy VII in 1997. The company became Square Enix in 2003 after merging with the developer Enix. Even though the FF series continues to this day, the peak years are considered the SNES outings and then FFVII on the PlayStation.
As FFVII is one of our favourite games. We first got to play it on the PC port in 1998 and fell in love with it.
As an RPG, its epic story and dramatic characters, amazing soundtrack, and everything else just swept us along with the whole shingdig. Although the original’s blocky graphics show their age, they have a real charm to them.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utVE4aUKYuY?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Once the news of the long-awaited remake was announce, we were worried Square would do AAA trope stuff for the sake of graphics snobs who wanted a graphical overhaul.
However, Final Fantasy VII Remake is much more than just a graphics update. It’s a very impressive reimagining of the original story, with new arcs, complexities, game mechanics, and characterisation. Frankly, within hours we were swept along with it all and think the remake is a total triumph. A magnificent beast!
FFVII Remake Overhauls (and improves) the Iconic Narrative
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOA5GwRcBks?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]The great thing Square has done here is do much more than modernise the graphics. The dev has also given the genuinely brilliant, emotive story a big update and expanded on the concepts of the 1997 original.
Some of the updates are subtle, others major, but on the whole these are all very well done. And show that Remake is much more than a pandering to graphics snobs wailing about a lack of 60fps.
As pretty as the game now looks, what kept us coming back to Remake night after night for three hour runs is that story.
The Remake is a trilogy, with the second installment launched in February 2024, and the third outing is due for release in 2026 or 2027. This first outing focusses in on what’s about a one to three hour segment in the original game, where players are in the radical eco-terrorist movement AVALANCHE.
In the metropolis city of Midgar, you take control of the mercenary Cloud Strife. He’s hired as a one-off to blow up a reactor in the megacorporation of Shinra. He’s initially just out for money, but soon gets drawn into a sprawling story of love, loss, grief, and environmental collapse.
For us, that was our favourite bit of the original game. The opening hour is magnificent.
For Remake, the entire first installment is an expansion of Cloud’s time in Midgar. Brilliant! A full 30 hours or so of that opening segment, so there’s nothing to complain about from us.
It’s genuinely one of the best video game narratives out there. We’ve been critical of video game narratives in general on Professional Moron, mainly in modern AAA games as they’re often so poorly done. AAA games are like having to watch a terrible movie.
But FFVII Remake Intergrade is largely a big success. It helps that the story from 30 years ago was already there, but the expansions of plot and themes are done intelligently and with great compassion.
Central to that is Cloud’s friendship with a young lady called Aerith, a brilliant human being who stands as a beacon of light amongst the economic collapse and corruption of Shinra.
The CRUNCH of the Gameplay and Those Melancholic Moments
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elBvGD9qujk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]The original FFVII merged a combat system alongside the deep and emotive storyline, plus a genuine sense of melancholia. It’s a game about capitalism destroying the world, with the head of Shinra a cold and calculating psychopath.
Away from the story, which is what drives the game, Remake offers a fleshed out combat system. Square Enix has been great here and offered all sorts of difficulty settings to accommodate for different playing types.
Before you begin, you can set things to be super tough or super easy. It’s really welcoming and allows everyone to experience the game the way they want to (something devs like Team Cherry need to keep in mind).
Combat is good fun, but can get a bit repetitive. Plus, the gameplay experience is surprisingly linear, alongside some of the more tedious AAA game tropes added into the mix. Mainly in the form of side quests, which are just the usual “I’ve lost several chickens, go and collect the chickens” filler. For us, it added little to the experience other than fleshing out the game length artificially.
Some of the dialogue and voice acting can be cringeworthy, too, but the whole it’s well done. Even the comically oversexualised Tifa, in the most revealing outfit imaginable, has a clearly defined character. She’s a great human being, compassionate and confident.
Players are also always encouraged, led by Square Enix at regular turns, to just stop and bask in life’s moments.
Its philosophical in that reach, expecting you to think of your own existence and sense of mortality. FFVII is about several very brave people putting their precious lives to one side in the name of something greater.
As the player, you’re very much part of that. Living out the dramatic experience.
And the glorious thing about Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade? This is part one of a trilogy. The game fully deserves this treatment, a masterpiece of gaming modernised in the best possible way.
And a Nod to FFVII Remake’s Musical Overhaul
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zboO7UCUE8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]On a final note, we’ve done a full feature on Final Fantasy VII Remake’s soundtrack. Remake offers a big reimagining of the original 1997 score, updated by the composers Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki.
The composer for the 1997 original score, Nobuo Uematsu, made one contribution. Otherwise, the work includes new arrangements of his brilliant work 30 years ago.
Credit to the team and what they’ve done here, faithfully recreating classic old pieces whilst fleshing out the main soundtrack with new compositions. It’s a vast score, too, with over 150 pieces and totalling eight hours in length. Square Enix’s official soundtrack release is a seven CD set!
They weren’t messing around with this whole project. Everyone involved put in maximum effort to build on the legacy of the original and from the music to the core gameplay, everything is rather magnificent.
#FinalFantasy #FinalFantasyVII #FinalFantasyVIIRemake #FinalFantasyVIIRemakeIntergrade #gaming #Lifestyle #RetroGaming #RPG #SquareEnix #VideoGames -
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: Brilliant Update of 1997 Classic ☄️
It took us much longer than expected to get to the Final Fantasy VII Remake (Intergrade). A big update by Square Enix of the legendary FFVII on the PlayStation, it’s a fan favourite from the series and its epic themes were ideal for a big overhaul.
Remake launched in 2020 as an action role-playing game, at first on PS4 before making its way to the PC. Finally, in January 2026, there were ports for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles.
We got the Switch 2 version and happily dove on it. What we found was a heavily cinematic idealised title, but one that can often be a wonder (even if it occasionally mires itself in some AAA tedium).
The Emotive Sweep of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uv3Zd6LO8s?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Squaresoft launched Final Fantasy VII in 1997. The company became Square Enix in 2003 after merging with the developer Enix. Even though the FF series continues to this day, the peak years are considered the SNES outings and then FFVII on the PlayStation.
As FFVII is one of our favourite games. We first got to play it on the PC port in 1998 and fell in love with it.
As an RPG, its epic story and dramatic characters, amazing soundtrack, and everything else just swept us along with the whole shingdig. Although the original’s blocky graphics show their age, they have a real charm to them.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utVE4aUKYuY?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]Once the news of the long-awaited remake was announce, we were worried Square would do AAA trope stuff for the sake of graphics snobs who wanted a graphical overhaul.
However, Final Fantasy VII Remake is much more than just a graphics update. It’s a very impressive reimagining of the original story, with new arcs, complexities, game mechanics, and characterisation. Frankly, within hours we were swept along with it all and think the remake is a total triumph. A magnificent beast!
FFVII Remake Overhauls (and improves) the Iconic Narrative
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOA5GwRcBks?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]The great thing Square has done here is do much more than modernise the graphics. The dev has also given the genuinely brilliant, emotive story a big update and expanded on the concepts of the 1997 original.
Some of the updates are subtle, others major, but on the whole these are all very well done. And show that Remake is much more than a pandering to graphics snobs wailing about a lack of 60fps.
As pretty as the game now looks, what kept us coming back to Remake night after night for three hour runs is that story.
The Remake is a trilogy, with the second installment launched in February 2024, and the third outing is due for release in 2026 or 2027. This first outing focusses in on what’s about a one to three hour segment in the original game, where players are in the radical eco-terrorist movement AVALANCHE.
In the metropolis city of Midgar, you take control of the mercenary Cloud Strife. He’s hired as a one-off to blow up a reactor in the megacorporation of Shinra. He’s initially just out for money, but soon gets drawn into a sprawling story of love, loss, grief, and environmental collapse.
For us, that was our favourite bit of the original game. The opening hour is magnificent.
For Remake, the entire first installment is an expansion of Cloud’s time in Midgar. Brilliant! A full 30 hours or so of that opening segment, so there’s nothing to complain about from us.
It’s genuinely one of the best video game narratives out there. We’ve been critical of video game narratives in general on Professional Moron, mainly in modern AAA games as they’re often so poorly done. AAA games are like having to watch a terrible movie.
But FFVII Remake Intergrade is largely a big success. It helps that the story from 30 years ago was already there, but the expansions of plot and themes are done intelligently and with great compassion.
Central to that is Cloud’s friendship with a young lady called Aerith, a brilliant human being who stands as a beacon of light amongst the economic collapse and corruption of Shinra.
The CRUNCH of the Gameplay and Those Melancholic Moments
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elBvGD9qujk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]The original FFVII merged a combat system alongside the deep and emotive storyline, plus a genuine sense of melancholia. It’s a game about capitalism destroying the world, with the head of Shinra a cold and calculating psychopath.
Away from the story, which is what drives the game, Remake offers a fleshed out combat system. Square Enix has been great here and offered all sorts of difficulty settings to accommodate for different playing types.
Before you begin, you can set things to be super tough or super easy. It’s really welcoming and allows everyone to experience the game the way they want to (something devs like Team Cherry need to keep in mind).
Combat is good fun, but can get a bit repetitive. Plus, the gameplay experience is surprisingly linear, alongside some of the more tedious AAA game tropes added into the mix. Mainly in the form of side quests, which are just the usual “I’ve lost several chickens, go and collect the chickens” filler. For us, it added little to the experience other than fleshing out the game length artificially.
Some of the dialogue and voice acting can be cringeworthy, too, but the whole it’s well done. Even the comically oversexualised Tifa, in the most revealing outfit imaginable, has a clearly defined character. She’s a great human being, compassionate and confident.
Players are also always encouraged, led by Square Enix at regular turns, to just stop and bask in life’s moments.
Its philosophical in that reach, expecting you to think of your own existence and sense of mortality. FFVII is about several very brave people putting their precious lives to one side in the name of something greater.
As the player, you’re very much part of that. Living out the dramatic experience.
And the glorious thing about Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade? This is part one of a trilogy. The game fully deserves this treatment, a masterpiece of gaming modernised in the best possible way.
And a Nod to FFVII Remake’s Musical Overhaul
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zboO7UCUE8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=723&h=407]On a final note, we’ve done a full feature on Final Fantasy VII Remake’s soundtrack. Remake offers a big reimagining of the original 1997 score, updated by the composers Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki.
The composer for the 1997 original score, Nobuo Uematsu, made one contribution. Otherwise, the work includes new arrangements of his brilliant work 30 years ago.
Credit to the team and what they’ve done here, faithfully recreating classic old pieces whilst fleshing out the main soundtrack with new compositions. It’s a vast score, too, with over 150 pieces and totalling eight hours in length. Square Enix’s official soundtrack release is a seven CD set!
They weren’t messing around with this whole project. Everyone involved put in maximum effort to build on the legacy of the original and from the music to the core gameplay, everything is rather magnificent.
#FinalFantasy #FinalFantasyVII #FinalFantasyVIIRemake #FinalFantasyVIIRemakeIntergrade #gaming #Lifestyle #RetroGaming #RPG #SquareEnix #VideoGames -
🤡 Spoiler alert: the article warns us that #spam is now dressed-up in its Sunday best, thanks to "vibe-coding." 🎩✨ The author seems genuinely concerned that our inboxes might become too eye-catching, as if the real problem with spam was always its lack of #aesthetic appeal. 📬💅
https://tedium.co/2026/02/25/vibe-coded-email-spam/ #vibes #inbox #design #spamfilter #HackerNews #ngated -
🤡 Spoiler alert: the article warns us that #spam is now dressed-up in its Sunday best, thanks to "vibe-coding." 🎩✨ The author seems genuinely concerned that our inboxes might become too eye-catching, as if the real problem with spam was always its lack of #aesthetic appeal. 📬💅
https://tedium.co/2026/02/25/vibe-coded-email-spam/ #vibes #inbox #design #spamfilter #HackerNews #ngated -
🤡 Spoiler alert: the article warns us that #spam is now dressed-up in its Sunday best, thanks to "vibe-coding." 🎩✨ The author seems genuinely concerned that our inboxes might become too eye-catching, as if the real problem with spam was always its lack of #aesthetic appeal. 📬💅
https://tedium.co/2026/02/25/vibe-coded-email-spam/ #vibes #inbox #design #spamfilter #HackerNews #ngated -
🤡 Spoiler alert: the article warns us that #spam is now dressed-up in its Sunday best, thanks to "vibe-coding." 🎩✨ The author seems genuinely concerned that our inboxes might become too eye-catching, as if the real problem with spam was always its lack of #aesthetic appeal. 📬💅
https://tedium.co/2026/02/25/vibe-coded-email-spam/ #vibes #inbox #design #spamfilter #HackerNews #ngated -
🤡 Spoiler alert: the article warns us that #spam is now dressed-up in its Sunday best, thanks to "vibe-coding." 🎩✨ The author seems genuinely concerned that our inboxes might become too eye-catching, as if the real problem with spam was always its lack of #aesthetic appeal. 📬💅
https://tedium.co/2026/02/25/vibe-coded-email-spam/ #vibes #inbox #design #spamfilter #HackerNews #ngated -
Temple of Void – The Crawl Review By Steel DruhmDetroit’s death-doom institution Temple of Void had an interesting journey over their 12-year career. Their 2014 debut split the baby between 90s Peaceville doom and nasty death metal like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower, and the end product was heavy as fook. 2017’s Lords of Death shifted toward death metal without losing any of the crushing, venomous intensity. It wasn’t until 2020s The World That Was that Temple of Void really started experimenting with the scope of their sound as influences like post-metal crept in. When 2022s Summoning the Slayer arrived, it seemed like the band was losing the plot, as their sound became overly pared down and simplistic, causing tedium to set in. That brings us to their fifth album, The Crawl. With a new bassist in tow, the band stated that they set out to write a heavy record without regard to how many death or doom influences were included. In that pursuit, they’ve expanded the scope of their sound to include elements like grunge and Goth for greater dynamism and diversity. Will that be a boon or bane to those who just want another ball-busting, skull-crushing death-doom platter?
I’ll give Temple of Void some credit for spicing up their recipe this time out. Opener “Poison Icon” is a hard-rocking death-meets-stoner-doom meat paste that’s bright and upbeat while managing to remain pretty damn heavy. There’s a rowdy urgency to the riffs that doesn’t fit neatly into death or doom camps, and the segues into hard rock stanzas with guttural death vocals over the top remind me of various melodeath Rogga products and the recent works of Hooded Menace. It’s not the nasty Temple of Void that I long for, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. “Godless Cynic “moves into darker, more grotesque death-doom territory with riffs that slither and snake all over, and when teamed with really hostile death vocals, things feel threatening and dangerous. It’s one of the album highlights, and it reminds me of the long-forgotten, criminally underrated Dutch doom band Another Messiah, which is a win in my book. 1 The title track is classic death-doom designed to pulverize and pummel. It does the job well, and the riffs are grisly fun as they swing from death stomp to doom plod.
Things also heat up on “A Dead Issue,” as discordant leads and eerie keyboards conspire to create an ominous, unsettling soundscape. The dreamy, ethereal guitars that weave in and out add another layer and make for a dynamic listen. The 7:41 closer “The Twin Stranger” is ferocious, with huge riffs dropping from the sky like spiked anvils. There’s enough forward momentum tank chugs to recall the glory days of Bolt Thrower and the pacing keeps the song from feeling as long as it is. Not every track is as successful at world-building, though. “Thy Mountain Eternal” attempts to cram an epic Viking metal element into the death-doom foundation, but ultimately ends up sounding more like recycled Omnium Gatherum than Ereb Altor, and at just under 7-minutes, it drags on too long. At 41-plus minutes, The Crawl is just about the ideal length for this kind of fare, and though there are moments of bloat to be found, most of the tracks are fairly fit and spry. The production gives the guitars enough raw power to intimidate, and those death vocals will shake the molars out of your head.
The Temple of Void edifice is highly reliant on the riff firepower brought to bear, and Alexander Awn and Michael Erdody bring enough explosives to flatten a small city. Yes, they dabble in outside influences, but this is a death-doom album at heart, and the bulldozing leads aim to harm. The rock, Goth, and other outside elements decorate the riffs, but they don’t replace the hammer and axe. There are many hook-tastic leads and smoking solos to absorb, and the diversity keeps things from feeling like a monolithic slog. Erdody’s large-scale death roars are highly effective, and he keeps things heavy no matter what genre the guitars decide to visit. It’s really the writing that elevates The Crawl beyond what was heard on Summoning the Slayer. This is a much more ambitious, adventurous outing, and it sounds like the band felt more confident and free to develop their sound this time out.
I came into The Crawl concerned that Temple of Void was going to evolve right into an early grave, but the material here is full of life, liberty, and the pursuit of the best bits of death and doom. There’s variety and inventiveness, but it will still flatten your ass regularly. I doubt they will ever give us another Lords of Death, but this ain’t so bad in its stead. Visit the newly renovated Temple.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
#2026 #AnotherMessiah #BoltThrower #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #HoodedMenace #Mar26 #OmniumGatherum #RelapseRecords #Review #Reviews #SummoningTheSlayer #TempleOfVoid #TheCrawl
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking STREAM!!
Label: Relapse
Websites: templeofvoid.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/templeofvoid | instagram.com/templeofvoid
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2026 -
Temple of Void – The Crawl Review By Steel DruhmDetroit’s death-doom institution Temple of Void had an interesting journey over their 12-year career. Their 2014 debut split the baby between 90s Peaceville doom and nasty death metal like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower, and the end product was heavy as fook. 2017’s Lords of Death shifted toward death metal without losing any of the crushing, venomous intensity. It wasn’t until 2020s The World That Was that Temple of Void really started experimenting with the scope of their sound as influences like post-metal crept in. When 2022s Summoning the Slayer arrived, it seemed like the band was losing the plot, as their sound became overly pared down and simplistic, causing tedium to set in. That brings us to their fifth album, The Crawl. With a new bassist in tow, the band stated that they set out to write a heavy record without regard to how many death or doom influences were included. In that pursuit, they’ve expanded the scope of their sound to include elements like grunge and Goth for greater dynamism and diversity. Will that be a boon or bane to those who just want another ball-busting, skull-crushing death-doom platter?
I’ll give Temple of Void some credit for spicing up their recipe this time out. Opener “Poison Icon” is a hard-rocking death-meets-stoner-doom meat paste that’s bright and upbeat while managing to remain pretty damn heavy. There’s a rowdy urgency to the riffs that doesn’t fit neatly into death or doom camps, and the segues into hard rock stanzas with guttural death vocals over the top remind me of various melodeath Rogga products and the recent works of Hooded Menace. It’s not the nasty Temple of Void that I long for, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. “Godless Cynic “moves into darker, more grotesque death-doom territory with riffs that slither and snake all over, and when teamed with really hostile death vocals, things feel threatening and dangerous. It’s one of the album highlights, and it reminds me of the long-forgotten, criminally underrated Dutch doom band Another Messiah, which is a win in my book. 1 The title track is classic death-doom designed to pulverize and pummel. It does the job well, and the riffs are grisly fun as they swing from death stomp to doom plod.
Things also heat up on “A Dead Issue,” as discordant leads and eerie keyboards conspire to create an ominous, unsettling soundscape. The dreamy, ethereal guitars that weave in and out add another layer and make for a dynamic listen. The 7:41 closer “The Twin Stranger” is ferocious, with huge riffs dropping from the sky like spiked anvils. There’s enough forward momentum tank chugs to recall the glory days of Bolt Thrower and the pacing keeps the song from feeling as long as it is. Not every track is as successful at world-building, though. “Thy Mountain Eternal” attempts to cram an epic Viking metal element into the death-doom foundation, but ultimately ends up sounding more like recycled Omnium Gatherum than Ereb Altor, and at just under 7-minutes, it drags on too long. At 41-plus minutes, The Crawl is just about the ideal length for this kind of fare, and though there are moments of bloat to be found, most of the tracks are fairly fit and spry. The production gives the guitars enough raw power to intimidate, and those death vocals will shake the molars out of your head.
The Temple of Void edifice is highly reliant on the riff firepower brought to bear, and Alexander Awn and Michael Erdody bring enough explosives to flatten a small city. Yes, they dabble in outside influences, but this is a death-doom album at heart, and the bulldozing leads aim to harm. The rock, Goth, and other outside elements decorate the riffs, but they don’t replace the hammer and axe. There are many hook-tastic leads and smoking solos to absorb, and the diversity keeps things from feeling like a monolithic slog. Erdody’s large-scale death roars are highly effective, and he keeps things heavy no matter what genre the guitars decide to visit. It’s really the writing that elevates The Crawl beyond what was heard on Summoning the Slayer. This is a much more ambitious, adventurous outing, and it sounds like the band felt more confident and free to develop their sound this time out.
I came into The Crawl concerned that Temple of Void was going to evolve right into an early grave, but the material here is full of life, liberty, and the pursuit of the best bits of death and doom. There’s variety and inventiveness, but it will still flatten your ass regularly. I doubt they will ever give us another Lords of Death, but this ain’t so bad in its stead. Visit the newly renovated Temple.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
#2026 #AnotherMessiah #BoltThrower #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #HoodedMenace #Mar26 #OmniumGatherum #RelapseRecords #Review #Reviews #SummoningTheSlayer #TempleOfVoid #TheCrawl
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking STREAM!!
Label: Relapse
Websites: templeofvoid.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/templeofvoid | instagram.com/templeofvoid
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2026 -
Temple of Void – The Crawl Review By Steel DruhmDetroit’s death-doom institution Temple of Void had an interesting journey over their 12-year career. Their 2014 debut split the baby between 90s Peaceville doom and nasty death metal like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower, and the end product was heavy as fook. 2017’s Lords of Death shifted toward death metal without losing any of the crushing, venomous intensity. It wasn’t until 2020s The World That Was that Temple of Void really started experimenting with the scope of their sound as influences like post-metal crept in. When 2022s Summoning the Slayer arrived, it seemed like the band was losing the plot, as their sound became overly pared down and simplistic, causing tedium to set in. That brings us to their fifth album, The Crawl. With a new bassist in tow, the band stated that they set out to write a heavy record without regard to how many death or doom influences were included. In that pursuit, they’ve expanded the scope of their sound to include elements like grunge and Goth for greater dynamism and diversity. Will that be a boon or bane to those who just want another ball-busting, skull-crushing death-doom platter?
I’ll give Temple of Void some credit for spicing up their recipe this time out. Opener “Poison Icon” is a hard-rocking death-meets-stoner-doom meat paste that’s bright and upbeat while managing to remain pretty damn heavy. There’s a rowdy urgency to the riffs that doesn’t fit neatly into death or doom camps, and the segues into hard rock stanzas with guttural death vocals over the top remind me of various melodeath Rogga products and the recent works of Hooded Menace. It’s not the nasty Temple of Void that I long for, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. “Godless Cynic “moves into darker, more grotesque death-doom territory with riffs that slither and snake all over, and when teamed with really hostile death vocals, things feel threatening and dangerous. It’s one of the album highlights, and it reminds me of the long-forgotten, criminally underrated Dutch doom band Another Messiah, which is a win in my book. 1 The title track is classic death-doom designed to pulverize and pummel. It does the job well, and the riffs are grisly fun as they swing from death stomp to doom plod.
Things also heat up on “A Dead Issue,” as discordant leads and eerie keyboards conspire to create an ominous, unsettling soundscape. The dreamy, ethereal guitars that weave in and out add another layer and make for a dynamic listen. The 7:41 closer “The Twin Stranger” is ferocious, with huge riffs dropping from the sky like spiked anvils. There’s enough forward momentum tank chugs to recall the glory days of Bolt Thrower and the pacing keeps the song from feeling as long as it is. Not every track is as successful at world-building, though. “Thy Mountain Eternal” attempts to cram an epic Viking metal element into the death-doom foundation, but ultimately ends up sounding more like recycled Omnium Gatherum than Ereb Altor, and at just under 7-minutes, it drags on too long. At 41-plus minutes, The Crawl is just about the ideal length for this kind of fare, and though there are moments of bloat to be found, most of the tracks are fairly fit and spry. The production gives the guitars enough raw power to intimidate, and those death vocals will shake the molars out of your head.
The Temple of Void edifice is highly reliant on the riff firepower brought to bear, and Alexander Awn and Michael Erdody bring enough explosives to flatten a small city. Yes, they dabble in outside influences, but this is a death-doom album at heart, and the bulldozing leads aim to harm. The rock, Goth, and other outside elements decorate the riffs, but they don’t replace the hammer and axe. There are many hook-tastic leads and smoking solos to absorb, and the diversity keeps things from feeling like a monolithic slog. Erdody’s large-scale death roars are highly effective, and he keeps things heavy no matter what genre the guitars decide to visit. It’s really the writing that elevates The Crawl beyond what was heard on Summoning the Slayer. This is a much more ambitious, adventurous outing, and it sounds like the band felt more confident and free to develop their sound this time out.
I came into The Crawl concerned that Temple of Void was going to evolve right into an early grave, but the material here is full of life, liberty, and the pursuit of the best bits of death and doom. There’s variety and inventiveness, but it will still flatten your ass regularly. I doubt they will ever give us another Lords of Death, but this ain’t so bad in its stead. Visit the newly renovated Temple.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
#2026 #AnotherMessiah #BoltThrower #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #HoodedMenace #Mar26 #OmniumGatherum #RelapseRecords #Review #Reviews #SummoningTheSlayer #TempleOfVoid #TheCrawl
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking STREAM!!
Label: Relapse
Websites: templeofvoid.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/templeofvoid | instagram.com/templeofvoid
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2026 -
Temple of Void – The Crawl Review By Steel DruhmDetroit’s death-doom institution Temple of Void had an interesting journey over their 12-year career. Their 2014 debut split the baby between 90s Peaceville doom and nasty death metal like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower, and the end product was heavy as fook. 2017’s Lords of Death shifted toward death metal without losing any of the crushing, venomous intensity. It wasn’t until 2020s The World That Was that Temple of Void really started experimenting with the scope of their sound as influences like post-metal crept in. When 2022s Summoning the Slayer arrived, it seemed like the band was losing the plot, as their sound became overly pared down and simplistic, causing tedium to set in. That brings us to their fifth album, The Crawl. With a new bassist in tow, the band stated that they set out to write a heavy record without regard to how many death or doom influences were included. In that pursuit, they’ve expanded the scope of their sound to include elements like grunge and Goth for greater dynamism and diversity. Will that be a boon or bane to those who just want another ball-busting, skull-crushing death-doom platter?
I’ll give Temple of Void some credit for spicing up their recipe this time out. Opener “Poison Icon” is a hard-rocking death-meets-stoner-doom meat paste that’s bright and upbeat while managing to remain pretty damn heavy. There’s a rowdy urgency to the riffs that doesn’t fit neatly into death or doom camps, and the segues into hard rock stanzas with guttural death vocals over the top remind me of various melodeath Rogga products and the recent works of Hooded Menace. It’s not the nasty Temple of Void that I long for, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. “Godless Cynic “moves into darker, more grotesque death-doom territory with riffs that slither and snake all over, and when teamed with really hostile death vocals, things feel threatening and dangerous. It’s one of the album highlights, and it reminds me of the long-forgotten, criminally underrated Dutch doom band Another Messiah, which is a win in my book. 1 The title track is classic death-doom designed to pulverize and pummel. It does the job well, and the riffs are grisly fun as they swing from death stomp to doom plod.
Things also heat up on “A Dead Issue,” as discordant leads and eerie keyboards conspire to create an ominous, unsettling soundscape. The dreamy, ethereal guitars that weave in and out add another layer and make for a dynamic listen. The 7:41 closer “The Twin Stranger” is ferocious, with huge riffs dropping from the sky like spiked anvils. There’s enough forward momentum tank chugs to recall the glory days of Bolt Thrower and the pacing keeps the song from feeling as long as it is. Not every track is as successful at world-building, though. “Thy Mountain Eternal” attempts to cram an epic Viking metal element into the death-doom foundation, but ultimately ends up sounding more like recycled Omnium Gatherum than Ereb Altor, and at just under 7-minutes, it drags on too long. At 41-plus minutes, The Crawl is just about the ideal length for this kind of fare, and though there are moments of bloat to be found, most of the tracks are fairly fit and spry. The production gives the guitars enough raw power to intimidate, and those death vocals will shake the molars out of your head.
The Temple of Void edifice is highly reliant on the riff firepower brought to bear, and Alexander Awn and Michael Erdody bring enough explosives to flatten a small city. Yes, they dabble in outside influences, but this is a death-doom album at heart, and the bulldozing leads aim to harm. The rock, Goth, and other outside elements decorate the riffs, but they don’t replace the hammer and axe. There are many hook-tastic leads and smoking solos to absorb, and the diversity keeps things from feeling like a monolithic slog. Erdody’s large-scale death roars are highly effective, and he keeps things heavy no matter what genre the guitars decide to visit. It’s really the writing that elevates The Crawl beyond what was heard on Summoning the Slayer. This is a much more ambitious, adventurous outing, and it sounds like the band felt more confident and free to develop their sound this time out.
I came into The Crawl concerned that Temple of Void was going to evolve right into an early grave, but the material here is full of life, liberty, and the pursuit of the best bits of death and doom. There’s variety and inventiveness, but it will still flatten your ass regularly. I doubt they will ever give us another Lords of Death, but this ain’t so bad in its stead. Visit the newly renovated Temple.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
#2026 #AnotherMessiah #BoltThrower #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #HoodedMenace #Mar26 #OmniumGatherum #RelapseRecords #Review #Reviews #SummoningTheSlayer #TempleOfVoid #TheCrawl
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking STREAM!!
Label: Relapse
Websites: templeofvoid.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/templeofvoid | instagram.com/templeofvoid
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2026 -
Temple of Void – The Crawl Review By Steel DruhmDetroit’s death-doom institution Temple of Void had an interesting journey over their 12-year career. Their 2014 debut split the baby between 90s Peaceville doom and nasty death metal like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower, and the end product was heavy as fook. 2017’s Lords of Death shifted toward death metal without losing any of the crushing, venomous intensity. It wasn’t until 2020s The World That Was that Temple of Void really started experimenting with the scope of their sound as influences like post-metal crept in. When 2022s Summoning the Slayer arrived, it seemed like the band was losing the plot, as their sound became overly pared down and simplistic, causing tedium to set in. That brings us to their fifth album, The Crawl. With a new bassist in tow, the band stated that they set out to write a heavy record without regard to how many death or doom influences were included. In that pursuit, they’ve expanded the scope of their sound to include elements like grunge and Goth for greater dynamism and diversity. Will that be a boon or bane to those who just want another ball-busting, skull-crushing death-doom platter?
I’ll give Temple of Void some credit for spicing up their recipe this time out. Opener “Poison Icon” is a hard-rocking death-meets-stoner-doom meat paste that’s bright and upbeat while managing to remain pretty damn heavy. There’s a rowdy urgency to the riffs that doesn’t fit neatly into death or doom camps, and the segues into hard rock stanzas with guttural death vocals over the top remind me of various melodeath Rogga products and the recent works of Hooded Menace. It’s not the nasty Temple of Void that I long for, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. “Godless Cynic “moves into darker, more grotesque death-doom territory with riffs that slither and snake all over, and when teamed with really hostile death vocals, things feel threatening and dangerous. It’s one of the album highlights, and it reminds me of the long-forgotten, criminally underrated Dutch doom band Another Messiah, which is a win in my book. 1 The title track is classic death-doom designed to pulverize and pummel. It does the job well, and the riffs are grisly fun as they swing from death stomp to doom plod.
Things also heat up on “A Dead Issue,” as discordant leads and eerie keyboards conspire to create an ominous, unsettling soundscape. The dreamy, ethereal guitars that weave in and out add another layer and make for a dynamic listen. The 7:41 closer “The Twin Stranger” is ferocious, with huge riffs dropping from the sky like spiked anvils. There’s enough forward momentum tank chugs to recall the glory days of Bolt Thrower and the pacing keeps the song from feeling as long as it is. Not every track is as successful at world-building, though. “Thy Mountain Eternal” attempts to cram an epic Viking metal element into the death-doom foundation, but ultimately ends up sounding more like recycled Omnium Gatherum than Ereb Altor, and at just under 7-minutes, it drags on too long. At 41-plus minutes, The Crawl is just about the ideal length for this kind of fare, and though there are moments of bloat to be found, most of the tracks are fairly fit and spry. The production gives the guitars enough raw power to intimidate, and those death vocals will shake the molars out of your head.
The Temple of Void edifice is highly reliant on the riff firepower brought to bear, and Alexander Awn and Michael Erdody bring enough explosives to flatten a small city. Yes, they dabble in outside influences, but this is a death-doom album at heart, and the bulldozing leads aim to harm. The rock, Goth, and other outside elements decorate the riffs, but they don’t replace the hammer and axe. There are many hook-tastic leads and smoking solos to absorb, and the diversity keeps things from feeling like a monolithic slog. Erdody’s large-scale death roars are highly effective, and he keeps things heavy no matter what genre the guitars decide to visit. It’s really the writing that elevates The Crawl beyond what was heard on Summoning the Slayer. This is a much more ambitious, adventurous outing, and it sounds like the band felt more confident and free to develop their sound this time out.
I came into The Crawl concerned that Temple of Void was going to evolve right into an early grave, but the material here is full of life, liberty, and the pursuit of the best bits of death and doom. There’s variety and inventiveness, but it will still flatten your ass regularly. I doubt they will ever give us another Lords of Death, but this ain’t so bad in its stead. Visit the newly renovated Temple.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
#2026 #AnotherMessiah #BoltThrower #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #HoodedMenace #Mar26 #OmniumGatherum #RelapseRecords #Review #Reviews #SummoningTheSlayer #TempleOfVoid #TheCrawl
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking STREAM!!
Label: Relapse
Websites: templeofvoid.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/templeofvoid | instagram.com/templeofvoid
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2026 -
A quotation from Joanna Maciejewska
I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.
Joanna Maciejewska (contemp.) Polish-Irish-American author
Twitter (2024-03-29)More about this quote: wist.info/maciejewska-joanna/8…
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📈 Oh, look! Canva's latest stroke of genius—targeting office drones instead of the "elite" design warriors. 🎨 Who knew transforming pro tools into loss leaders could be a revolutionary business tactic? 🙄 Well played, #Canva, well played. 👏
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Ah, the thrilling tale of when Uncle Sam decided to play hall monitor for our noisy computers 📻💥. Apparently, back in the day, our PCs were more talkative than a CB radio enthusiast at a truck stop. But hey, let's blame the radios for the FCC's sudden interest, because, you know, that makes total sense 🤷♂️.
https://tedium.co/2025/10/20/computers-fcc-rf-interference-history/ #UncleSam #HallMonitor #NoisyComputers #FCC #RadioRegulations #TechHistory #HackerNews #ngated -
Ah, the thrilling tale of when Uncle Sam decided to play hall monitor for our noisy computers 📻💥. Apparently, back in the day, our PCs were more talkative than a CB radio enthusiast at a truck stop. But hey, let's blame the radios for the FCC's sudden interest, because, you know, that makes total sense 🤷♂️.
https://tedium.co/2025/10/20/computers-fcc-rf-interference-history/ #UncleSam #HallMonitor #NoisyComputers #FCC #RadioRegulations #TechHistory #HackerNews #ngated -
Ah, the thrilling tale of when Uncle Sam decided to play hall monitor for our noisy computers 📻💥. Apparently, back in the day, our PCs were more talkative than a CB radio enthusiast at a truck stop. But hey, let's blame the radios for the FCC's sudden interest, because, you know, that makes total sense 🤷♂️.
https://tedium.co/2025/10/20/computers-fcc-rf-interference-history/ #UncleSam #HallMonitor #NoisyComputers #FCC #RadioRegulations #TechHistory #HackerNews #ngated -
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🐴🤖 In the year 2025, someone actually thought it was a good idea to resurrect a BASIC game where you spend your time typing commands to catch a digital horse that can't even kick you in real life. 🦄💻 Apparently, #nostalgia now means glorifying the days when games were essentially text-driven marathons of tedium. 🕹️📜
https://basic-code.bearblog.dev/corral/ #digitalgames #textadventure #BASICgames #retrogaming #HackerNews #ngated -
🐴🤖 In the year 2025, someone actually thought it was a good idea to resurrect a BASIC game where you spend your time typing commands to catch a digital horse that can't even kick you in real life. 🦄💻 Apparently, #nostalgia now means glorifying the days when games were essentially text-driven marathons of tedium. 🕹️📜
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