#belgianmetal — Public Fediverse posts

In case you’re unfamiliar, The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian poetic narrative, whose first complete form is dated to approximately 1800 BCE. It follows a story of King Gilgamesh and his dealings with gods and other mythic monsters, culminating in a journey for the secret of immortality.1 What better way could there be to consume this rich, literary epic than have it interpreted by the collection of artists behind From the Waters of Death? Obscure black/doom duo Swords of Dis; death metal veteran and experimenter Serpent Ascending; Neptunian Maximalism’s darker, heavier incarnation Ôros Kaù; and ambient-black dreamer Midnight Odyssey. All are infamous—if you know who they are—for their strange, unconventional styles and love for long-form expression that borders on the self-indulgent, which may make them ideally suited to a Gilgamesh retelling. You may already be experiencing a sinking feeling of dread at those name-drops. But together these artists achieve something that exceeded my expectations even as it met them squarely.

While appearing to be a split, Waters is more of a collaboration as each individual contributes vocal or instrumental talents across multiple songs, including on those they wrote and take the lead in themselves. Spearheading the whole thing are Richard and Alice Corvinus of Swords of Dis, who have a hand in all lyrics and appear on every track. These lyrics, inspired by the words of the epic itself, consist of narration interspersed with dialogue between the various characters, and the five musicians rotate and share roles depending on who is involved in the corresponding part of the story. 2 This improves the album’s internal coherence—which might otherwise be hindered in a split format—whilst also allowing each movement to take on the personality of its lead artist. As a form of adaptation, the five tracks of reverb-filled, noisy, strange, melodramatically or demoniacally vocally-led, black-adjacent fringe metal lean into the grand, frightening side to the tale whose gravity us modern-age folk probably can’t appreciate properly. And it’s that excessive, almost absurd commitment to being different, which—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—actually works.

From The Waters Of Death by SWORDS OF DIS

Drama is at the heart of oral poetic tradition, and it’s Waters’ drama that similarly grounds its best aspects. Utmost credit goes to Alice Corvinus and her fierce (“From Egalmah They Rode…”3, operatic (“Araru Births the Lord of the Wilderness,” “From Egalmah…,” “Blood Stains The Altar…”4), sometimes eerie (“Into the Wailing Darkness”5) vocal performance. Her presence dominates as she provides some narration in addition to voicing every female character (and there are a lot of goddesses involved). Dark, minor tremolo refrains and Middle-Eastern-inspired melodies support her delivery, and the theatrical, flowing style Swords of Dis employ lends itself to this expression perfectly. In a different vein, the inhumanly gurgling snarls of Guillaume Cazalet (Ôros Kaù) make for a barbed contrast to otherwise vague, even beautiful, passages (“Blood…”), and can be genuinely frightening (“Into The Wailing Darkness”). All vocals—clean or harsh—are odd to a degree, sometimes even off-putting (“Araru…”). Yet most breaches of the cringe line are brief, and ameliorated by interesting instrumentation (“Blood…,” “From the Setting…”6). Those totally averse to what we anaemically refer to as ‘avant-garde’ in extreme metal can beg to differ, but the back and forth between dissonance and harmony (“Araru…,” “Blood…”), and between uncomfortable slowness and sudden speed (“From the Setting…”), is not only well-performed, it makes sense for the record’s narrative concept. A journey represented through a monotonous pattern (“From Egalmah…,” “From the Setting…”), the fury of a deity by means of an operatic surge (“From Egalmah…”).

Waters embodies the manner of epic poetry so well, however, that its digestibility is harmed as well as helped. Whether appropriate or not, its near-90-minute runtime makes engaging with its entirety a daunting prospect, and this is a record that fares best when you do give it the time and space to immerse you.7 The very aptness of the compositional style—long repetitive sections on the one hand, and frequent switches between tempo, melody, and vocalist on the other—which mimics recitation amongst orators, can prove taxing. It creates a dynamic of brilliant moments and stand-out performances, scattered unevenly inside overextended filling. It’s perhaps not a coincidence that the album’s midsection—the two tracks led by masterminds Swords of Dis—is by far the best and most even in quality, whereas its final act—Midnight Odyssey’s—is the least engaging and unable to support its length.8

Though Waters cannot escape the idiosyncrasies of the artists behind it—and so inherently restricts its audience—as an expression of this epic poem, these approaches to black metal are surprisingly apt. If you have the time to go on this adventure with Serpent Ascending, Ôros Kaù, Swords of Dis, and Midnight Odyssey, there’s plenty to enjoy. But if nothing else, let it be an excuse to learn about the original myth that inspires such weird, sometimes wonderful music.

Rating: Good(!)
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: I, Voidhanger
Websites: Album BC | Serpent Ascending BC | Serpent Ascending FB | Ôros Kaù BC | Ôros Kaù FB | Swords of Dis BC | Swords of Dis FB | Midnight Odyssey BC | Midnight Odyssey FB
Releases Worldwide: February 13th, 2026

Psychonaut – World Maker Review

By Kenstrosity

Over the course of the last five years and change, my estimation of Belgian three-piece Psychonaut has only increased. Where I unfortunately missed out on Violate Consensus Reality for review duties, I didn’t let it slip outside of my listening rotation—certainly not after such an impressive debut, Unfold the God Man. I underrated that outing, citing bloat as the main drawback. Little did I consider that Psychonaut’s music often needs much more time than we’re given as our standard reviewing window to fully bloom. The psychedelic proggy post-metal purveyors boast a thoughtful and deeply layered songwriting approach that can’t be captured by a casual spin or three. Hence why I asked for World Maker, the trio’s third opus, early.

This proved to be a wise choice, as World Maker once again showcases the kind of writing that expands with a seemingly infinite upper limit over the course of time and attention. Less immediate than Violate Consensus Reality and less intimidating than Unfold the God Man, World Maker plucks the ripest fruit from each endeavor to formulate a rich and tantalizing concoction worthy of peddling alongside household names like The Ocean, Pink Floyd, and even Tool. World Maker is in some ways more intense (“Endless Currents”), and in others more relaxed (“…Everything Else is Just the Weather”), and all-around more psychedelic than what I’ve heard from Psychonaut before. Yet, it wholly retains Psychonaut’s uncanny knack for organic, almost primal rhythms, fluid transitions, and captivating phrases that achieves comparable success with or without vocals (“Origins”).

What sets World Maker apart from either of its predecessors is refinement in songwriting. Their base formula remains intact, but the methods with which Psychonaut compose and perform these latest arrangements ooze sophistication and finesse. Epic tracks like “And You Came with Searing Light” and “Stargazer,” in particular, showcase some of Psychonaut’s strongest and most satisfying writing to date. Exploring a wide gamut of textures, tones and tempos, these long-form journeys balance the power of the riff utilized on “You Are the Sky…” and “Endless Erosion” with the introspective post-metal lightness illuminated on “…Everything Else is Just the Weather” and “All in Time.” Generous and varied application of this strategy album-wide affords Psychonaut’s impeccably detailed compositions ample room for natural transformations between the monstrous and the gentle. This, in turn, allows World Maker to feel alive, to grow and evolve with every passing minute, and each subsequent spin.

As such, World Maker takes time and commitment to fully appreciate. It moves with such grace that its hour-long 1 runtime shrinks dramatically before me; that much became evident almost immediately. At the same time, it’s a dense and complex work that unfolds across multiple dimensions more rapidly than any one explorer can keep step. Perhaps this is a reflection of the circumstances surrounding its creation. With guitarist/vocalist Stefan de Graef’s entry into new fatherhood to devastating news of his father’s and bassist/vocalist Thomas Michiels’ father’s advanced cancer diagnoses, a newfound focus on the here and now illuminates the emotional shades that help define and color World Maker’s deeply affecting compositions. Trading off bright glimmers of hope with the looming shadow of grief, and simultaneously carrying the weight of everything that falls between, informs every moment of World Maker. This makes it a much more personal record than its predecessors. Moreover, Psychonaut curated an inviting, vulnerable space so that I might join in their joys and their sorrows through this work, creating a special kind of intimacy that is a privilege to share.

Even for those who lack the context in their own lives yet to fully identify with the stories and messages explored here, World Maker will likely have a substantial impact. It is a record that demands not just your full attention, but also your recurring presence. A single spin, or even three, is wholly insufficient to chart in totality what Psychonaut attempts to communicate here. These are songs meant to somehow, in some way, encapsulate the breadth of life and all of the lessons it teaches, the pains it inflicts, and the exhilaration it inspires. In my opinion, Psychonaut achieved a difficult, delicate balance within that astounding spectrum. All you need to see it for yourself is an open heart and a little time.

Rating: Great!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: psychonautband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/psychonautband
Releases Worldwide: October 24th, 2025

#2025 #40 #BelgianMetal #Oct25 #PelagicRecords #PinkFloyd #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #PsychedelicMetal #Psychonaut #Review #Reviews #TheOcean #Tool #WorldMaker