#gothicmetal — Public Fediverse posts

THEATRE OF TRAGEDY (Noruega) presenta nou recopilatori: "The Demo Collection 1994-1999" #TheatreOfTragedy #Gothic #DoomMetal #DeathMetal #Industrial #GothicMetal #Rock #Setembre2026 #Noruega #NouRecopilatori #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

THEATRE OF TRAGEDY (Noruega) presenta nou recopilatori: "The Demo Collection 1994-1999" #TheatreOfTragedy #Gothic #DoomMetal #DeathMetal #Industrial #GothicMetal #Rock #Setembre2026 #Noruega #NouRecopilatori #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

I’m on a romantic music kick lately, and who can really say why. It’s always been a flavor that I crave deeply in the music I frequent, but so often that craving is left unsatisfied or only partially sated. But Ukrainian goth rock/post punk quintet Season of Melancholy aren’t about to let me go before giving me everything I want, right? Bleeding hearts, sultry melodies, stories of heartbreak and of yearning, and dark atmospheres supported by bouncy tunes have been a part of their sound since inception over a decade ago. With one LP under their belt so far, follow-up In Sleep promises even sharper hooks, bigger choruses, and crunchier tones. Can they make me swoon?

After a slew of singles to foreshadow the release of In Sleep, a clear focus on accessibility and immediacy sharpens. Bridging the gaps between Mana-era Unto Others, AFI, Dead or Alive, and HIM, Season of Melancholy balance downtuned guitars with bright synths, danceable beats and a sultry baritone that stirs the loins. These are songs that could easily break into the charts but still maintain a dark character, and strategically placed metallic heft helps attract fans of harder music. A few instances of native Ukrainian make an appearance, though I would have loved to hear more as it meshes beautifully with this sound. On the production front, In Sleep is modern—perhaps too polished—and quite loud. That said, it boasts a balanced, bassy mix and isn’t so cluttered with instrumentation that its paltry dynamic range causes too much stress on my ears.

At a tight 43 minutes, In Sleep gets in and gets out, but not without leaving you breathing heavy from dancing all night long first. High-energy romps “Inmate,” “Keep the Night,” “Т.И.Ч.И.Я.,” “Way Out,” and “Down in Rage” bring metallic tones to the dancefloor, fortified by choruses so sticky in the moment that they might pull your shoes right off your feet. Though this material isn’t chock full of shreddy solos or boisterous riffs, pumping chugs and a clanky bass tone still move mountains as they groove and shove their way in between that buttery smooth baritone. Fun synthy incidentals embellish songs like “Farewell Song,” “Ghost,” and “Born in Lies” to offset their more mid-paced amble and create points of interest in spaces that would otherwise feel sparse and unfinished. And, while some of these songs are already a few years old, In Sleep is remarkably cohesive without feeling too repetitive.

That said, there is a strange sense of monotony that creeps in after multiple spins. Avoiding the dreaded pit of self-plagiarism by a thin hair, Season of Melancholy’s songwriting carries a consistent ABABCB structure that almost never shifts or shuffles. There’s a lot a band can do even inside that restricted chain to bring high heat to the affair, and any kind of exploration outside of it brings out more flavor, novelty, and excitement—both things that In Sleep lacks to varying degrees. As such, this record slots comfortably alongside releases from the aforementioned comparison points, but takes the safest route to get there. Consequently, most of the material presented here outside of a few of its best moments aren’t going to make it to long-term rotation.

Still, In Sleep offers good, clean fun to audiences looking for something easily digestible and universally approachable. It’s heavy and chunky enough to earn the favor of metalheads unbothered by accessibility or poppy sensibility, too. However, it’s safe, derivative of many of its peers/influences, and lacks staying power. Were it blessed with more adventurous structures or bolstered by a wide array of hooky riffs or other substantial instrumental spotlights, In Sleep would’ve earned a much higher score. As it is, it’s worth a listen or two and its best songs feel right at home on playlist duty. Whether it goes farther than that depends on the listener, and mileage may vary.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self Release
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026

I’ve always been more drawn to art that induces ‘negative’ emotions over ‘positive’ ones.1 I hate happy endings; I want art to make me cry or feel deeply unsettled; I feel deeply soothed by the pathos of wallowing. As a result, the depressive goth-synth-doom of Hours of Worship more than appeals. Morbid Hearts, Trembling Master, and Wound are back, this time joined by new permanent member Loathe, who lends her voice to the chorus of apathy. Resignation, as its name suggests, turns from the bitterness and despair of The Cold that You Left and the Death & Dying duology towards the acceptance and even welcoming of death. As ever, Hours of Worship give funeral doom and DSBM a run for their money in the bleakness of their concept and the sound of their music. But Resignation shows, perhaps best in their career so far, how something so bleak can still be beautiful.

Resignation is the closest Hours of Worship have come to metal, the blurred boundary between the synthetic and the metallic intensifying the cheerlessness. Distorted screams and growls are often the sole voice or duet alongside sung vocals, wrapped in weeping or eerie refrains in ways that variously remind me of Clouds (“You Hold No Value,” “Violent Thoughts are Not Enough”) and None (“True Loathe,” “Resignation”). Dissonance pulls at the corners of several of the primarily mournful melodies, led by odd key arrangements and layering of guitar and synths. This peaks in mid-album “Solace,” a collaboration with Psywarfare, whose disturbing electro-noise meets Hours of Worship’s ambience for an experience akin to a darker, much more frightening version of Bong-Ra. Stepping not once out of a funereal somnambulation, compositions progress to a soft, minimalist beat and let the lamenting melody lead; suspended animation is replaced with a smarter use of liminal space and a realised sense of build.

In Resignation’s particular blend and evolution of the act’s musical strands, Hours of Worship have found their truest and most wretched expression. The characteristic intoxicating sullenness of minor melodies, gently swaying grooves, and apathetic cleans is deepened to dangerously opioid levels. Refrains are yet more direly lugubrious and gorgeous (“Resignation,” “The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”), and there’s considerably more depth to their trajectories that layer synths and guitars for dreamlike (“Lower than Want,” “Bury Me in Deep Waters”) and emphatic (“You Hold No Value,” “The Weight Beneath”) effect. Hours of Worship use rhythm to accentuate these themes, dropping the beat (“You Hold…,” “Resignation,” “Bury Me…”) or just the percussion (“The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”) out suddenly, syncing vocals with scales and chimes with purring feedback pulses to the tempo of the album’s ebbing heartbeat. Loathe is a perfect addition, her haunting singing striking the balance between apathetic and despairing, channelling the canny rhythms through listless repetitions (“The Weight Beneath”). She acts as a foil to the morose cleans and agonised growls of her masculine counterparts who often go together in a baleful duet (“Resignation,” “Violent Thoughts…”) or snarl in almost defensive cruelty (“You Hold No Value,” “Solace”) while she laments alone in open vulnerability (“Lower than Want,” “The Weight Beneath”).

Relative to its style and subgenre, Resignation is compelling. Kindred spirits of myself and Hours of Worship, who love the gloom, shouldn’t have any problem with getting in an appropriately receptive mood, but this time the more involved and better developed compositions are likely to lure some previous naysayers to the graveyard. Baleful and melancholic in the majority, the album is but slightly weakened by the almost uplifting melody of closer “Abattoir Heart.” The brutal “Solace”—though powerful in how confrontationally dissonant and unsettling it is, also sticks out a little too much for comfort—as though comfort were really Hours of Worship’s concern. Despite these reservations, Resignation flows assuredly and strangely enough feels very consistent, with no lapses in the magnetism of the melodies or the misery.

Hours of Worship may have seemed like an act that wouldn’t evolve beyond the particularly languid lugubriousness of the Death & Dying duology. Yet they step into a new chapter here with a nuance and depth that add meaningful layers to already bottomless woe. Resignation may not be formed quite right to deliver a killing blow, but never have they come so seductively close.

Rating: Very Good2
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Worship the Dead
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: July 10th, 2026

I’ve always been more drawn to art that induces ‘negative’ emotions over ‘positive’ ones.1 I hate happy endings; I want art to make me cry or feel deeply unsettled; I feel deeply soothed by the pathos of wallowing. As a result, the depressive goth-synth-doom of Hours of Worship more than appeals. Morbid Hearts, Trembling Master, and Wound are back, this time joined by new permanent member Loathe, who lends her voice to the chorus of apathy. Resignation, as its name suggests, turns from the bitterness and despair of The Cold that You Left and the Death & Dying duology towards the acceptance and even welcoming of death. As ever, Hours of Worship give funeral doom and DSBM a run for their money in the bleakness of their concept and the sound of their music. But Resignation shows, perhaps best in their career so far, how something so bleak can still be beautiful.

Resignation is the closest Hours of Worship have come to metal, the blurred boundary between the synthetic and the metallic intensifying the cheerlessness. Distorted screams and growls are often the sole voice or duet alongside sung vocals, wrapped in weeping or eerie refrains in ways that variously remind me of Clouds (“You Hold No Value,” “Violent Thoughts are Not Enough”) and None (“True Loathe,” “Resignation”). Dissonance pulls at the corners of several of the primarily mournful melodies, led by odd key arrangements and layering of guitar and synths. This peaks in mid-album “Solace,” a collaboration with Psywarfare, whose disturbing electro-noise meets Hours of Worship’s ambience for an experience akin to a darker, much more frightening version of Bong-Ra. Stepping not once out of a funereal somnambulation, compositions progress to a soft, minimalist beat and let the lamenting melody lead; suspended animation is replaced with a smarter use of liminal space and a realised sense of build.

In Resignation’s particular blend and evolution of the act’s musical strands, Hours of Worship have found their truest and most wretched expression. The characteristic intoxicating sullenness of minor melodies, gently swaying grooves, and apathetic cleans is deepened to dangerously opioid levels. Refrains are yet more direly lugubrious and gorgeous (“Resignation,” “The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”), and there’s considerably more depth to their trajectories that layer synths and guitars for dreamlike (“Lower than Want,” “Bury Me in Deep Waters”) and emphatic (“You Hold No Value,” “The Weight Beneath”) effect. Hours of Worship use rhythm to accentuate these themes, dropping the beat (“You Hold…,” “Resignation,” “Bury Me…”) or just the percussion (“The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”) out suddenly, syncing vocals with scales and chimes with purring feedback pulses to the tempo of the album’s ebbing heartbeat. Loathe is a perfect addition, her haunting singing striking the balance between apathetic and despairing, channelling the canny rhythms through listless repetitions (“The Weight Beneath”). She acts as a foil to the morose cleans and agonised growls of her masculine counterparts who often go together in a baleful duet (“Resignation,” “Violent Thoughts…”) or snarl in almost defensive cruelty (“You Hold No Value,” “Solace”) while she laments alone in open vulnerability (“Lower than Want,” “The Weight Beneath”).

Relative to its style and subgenre, Resignation is compelling. Kindred spirits of myself and Hours of Worship, who love the gloom, shouldn’t have any problem with getting in an appropriately receptive mood, but this time the more involved and better developed compositions are likely to lure some previous naysayers to the graveyard. Baleful and melancholic in the majority, the album is but slightly weakened by the almost uplifting melody of closer “Abattoir Heart.” The brutal “Solace”—though powerful in how confrontationally dissonant and unsettling it is, also sticks out a little too much for comfort—as though comfort were really Hours of Worship’s concern. Despite these reservations, Resignation flows assuredly and strangely enough feels very consistent, with no lapses in the magnetism of the melodies or the misery.

Hours of Worship may have seemed like an act that wouldn’t evolve beyond the particularly languid lugubriousness of the Death & Dying duology. Yet they step into a new chapter here with a nuance and depth that add meaningful layers to already bottomless woe. Resignation may not be formed quite right to deliver a killing blow, but never have they come so seductively close.

Rating: Very Good2
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Worship the Dead
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: July 10th, 2026

I’ve always been more drawn to art that induces ‘negative’ emotions over ‘positive’ ones.1 I hate happy endings; I want art to make me cry or feel deeply unsettled; I feel deeply soothed by the pathos of wallowing. As a result, the depressive goth-synth-doom of Hours of Worship more than appeals. Morbid Hearts, Trembling Master, and Wound are back, this time joined by new permanent member Loathe, who lends her voice to the chorus of apathy. Resignation, as its name suggests, turns from the bitterness and despair of The Cold that You Left and the Death & Dying duology towards the acceptance and even welcoming of death. As ever, Hours of Worship give funeral doom and DSBM a run for their money in the bleakness of their concept and the sound of their music. But Resignation shows, perhaps best in their career so far, how something so bleak can still be beautiful.

Resignation is the closest Hours of Worship have come to metal, the blurred boundary between the synthetic and the metallic intensifying the cheerlessness. Distorted screams and growls are often the sole voice or duet alongside sung vocals, wrapped in weeping or eerie refrains in ways that variously remind me of Clouds (“You Hold No Value,” “Violent Thoughts are Not Enough”) and None (“True Loathe,” “Resignation”). Dissonance pulls at the corners of several of the primarily mournful melodies, led by odd key arrangements and layering of guitar and synths. This peaks in mid-album “Solace,” a collaboration with Psywarfare, whose disturbing electro-noise meets Hours of Worship’s ambience for an experience akin to a darker, much more frightening version of Bong-Ra. Stepping not once out of a funereal somnambulation, compositions progress to a soft, minimalist beat and let the lamenting melody lead; suspended animation is replaced with a smarter use of liminal space and a realised sense of build.

In Resignation’s particular blend and evolution of the act’s musical strands, Hours of Worship have found their truest and most wretched expression. The characteristic intoxicating sullenness of minor melodies, gently swaying grooves, and apathetic cleans is deepened to dangerously opioid levels. Refrains are yet more direly lugubrious and gorgeous (“Resignation,” “The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”), and there’s considerably more depth to their trajectories that layer synths and guitars for dreamlike (“Lower than Want,” “Bury Me in Deep Waters”) and emphatic (“You Hold No Value,” “The Weight Beneath”) effect. Hours of Worship use rhythm to accentuate these themes, dropping the beat (“You Hold…,” “Resignation,” “Bury Me…”) or just the percussion (“The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”) out suddenly, syncing vocals with scales and chimes with purring feedback pulses to the tempo of the album’s ebbing heartbeat. Loathe is a perfect addition, her haunting singing striking the balance between apathetic and despairing, channelling the canny rhythms through listless repetitions (“The Weight Beneath”). She acts as a foil to the morose cleans and agonised growls of her masculine counterparts who often go together in a baleful duet (“Resignation,” “Violent Thoughts…”) or snarl in almost defensive cruelty (“You Hold No Value,” “Solace”) while she laments alone in open vulnerability (“Lower than Want,” “The Weight Beneath”).

Relative to its style and subgenre, Resignation is compelling. Kindred spirits of myself and Hours of Worship, who love the gloom, shouldn’t have any problem with getting in an appropriately receptive mood, but this time the more involved and better developed compositions are likely to lure some previous naysayers to the graveyard. Baleful and melancholic in the majority, the album is but slightly weakened by the almost uplifting melody of closer “Abattoir Heart.” The brutal “Solace”—though powerful in how confrontationally dissonant and unsettling it is, also sticks out a little too much for comfort—as though comfort were really Hours of Worship’s concern. Despite these reservations, Resignation flows assuredly and strangely enough feels very consistent, with no lapses in the magnetism of the melodies or the misery.

Hours of Worship may have seemed like an act that wouldn’t evolve beyond the particularly languid lugubriousness of the Death & Dying duology. Yet they step into a new chapter here with a nuance and depth that add meaningful layers to already bottomless woe. Resignation may not be formed quite right to deliver a killing blow, but never have they come so seductively close.

Rating: Very Good2
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Worship the Dead
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: July 10th, 2026

I’ve always been more drawn to art that induces ‘negative’ emotions over ‘positive’ ones.1 I hate happy endings; I want art to make me cry or feel deeply unsettled; I feel deeply soothed by the pathos of wallowing. As a result, the depressive goth-synth-doom of Hours of Worship more than appeals. Morbid Hearts, Trembling Master, and Wound are back, this time joined by new permanent member Loathe, who lends her voice to the chorus of apathy. Resignation, as its name suggests, turns from the bitterness and despair of The Cold that You Left and the Death & Dying duology towards the acceptance and even welcoming of death. As ever, Hours of Worship give funeral doom and DSBM a run for their money in the bleakness of their concept and the sound of their music. But Resignation shows, perhaps best in their career so far, how something so bleak can still be beautiful.

Resignation is the closest Hours of Worship have come to metal, the blurred boundary between the synthetic and the metallic intensifying the cheerlessness. Distorted screams and growls are often the sole voice or duet alongside sung vocals, wrapped in weeping or eerie refrains in ways that variously remind me of Clouds (“You Hold No Value,” “Violent Thoughts are Not Enough”) and None (“True Loathe,” “Resignation”). Dissonance pulls at the corners of several of the primarily mournful melodies, led by odd key arrangements and layering of guitar and synths. This peaks in mid-album “Solace,” a collaboration with Psywarfare, whose disturbing electro-noise meets Hours of Worship’s ambience for an experience akin to a darker, much more frightening version of Bong-Ra. Stepping not once out of a funereal somnambulation, compositions progress to a soft, minimalist beat and let the lamenting melody lead; suspended animation is replaced with a smarter use of liminal space and a realised sense of build.

In Resignation’s particular blend and evolution of the act’s musical strands, Hours of Worship have found their truest and most wretched expression. The characteristic intoxicating sullenness of minor melodies, gently swaying grooves, and apathetic cleans is deepened to dangerously opioid levels. Refrains are yet more direly lugubrious and gorgeous (“Resignation,” “The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”), and there’s considerably more depth to their trajectories that layer synths and guitars for dreamlike (“Lower than Want,” “Bury Me in Deep Waters”) and emphatic (“You Hold No Value,” “The Weight Beneath”) effect. Hours of Worship use rhythm to accentuate these themes, dropping the beat (“You Hold…,” “Resignation,” “Bury Me…”) or just the percussion (“The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”) out suddenly, syncing vocals with scales and chimes with purring feedback pulses to the tempo of the album’s ebbing heartbeat. Loathe is a perfect addition, her haunting singing striking the balance between apathetic and despairing, channelling the canny rhythms through listless repetitions (“The Weight Beneath”). She acts as a foil to the morose cleans and agonised growls of her masculine counterparts who often go together in a baleful duet (“Resignation,” “Violent Thoughts…”) or snarl in almost defensive cruelty (“You Hold No Value,” “Solace”) while she laments alone in open vulnerability (“Lower than Want,” “The Weight Beneath”).

Relative to its style and subgenre, Resignation is compelling. Kindred spirits of myself and Hours of Worship, who love the gloom, shouldn’t have any problem with getting in an appropriately receptive mood, but this time the more involved and better developed compositions are likely to lure some previous naysayers to the graveyard. Baleful and melancholic in the majority, the album is but slightly weakened by the almost uplifting melody of closer “Abattoir Heart.” The brutal “Solace”—though powerful in how confrontationally dissonant and unsettling it is, also sticks out a little too much for comfort—as though comfort were really Hours of Worship’s concern. Despite these reservations, Resignation flows assuredly and strangely enough feels very consistent, with no lapses in the magnetism of the melodies or the misery.

Hours of Worship may have seemed like an act that wouldn’t evolve beyond the particularly languid lugubriousness of the Death & Dying duology. Yet they step into a new chapter here with a nuance and depth that add meaningful layers to already bottomless woe. Resignation may not be formed quite right to deliver a killing blow, but never have they come so seductively close.

Rating: Very Good2
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Worship the Dead
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: July 10th, 2026

I’ve always been more drawn to art that induces ‘negative’ emotions over ‘positive’ ones.1 I hate happy endings; I want art to make me cry or feel deeply unsettled; I feel deeply soothed by the pathos of wallowing. As a result, the depressive goth-synth-doom of Hours of Worship more than appeals. Morbid Hearts, Trembling Master, and Wound are back, this time joined by new permanent member Loathe, who lends her voice to the chorus of apathy. Resignation, as its name suggests, turns from the bitterness and despair of The Cold that You Left and the Death & Dying duology towards the acceptance and even welcoming of death. As ever, Hours of Worship give funeral doom and DSBM a run for their money in the bleakness of their concept and the sound of their music. But Resignation shows, perhaps best in their career so far, how something so bleak can still be beautiful.

Resignation is the closest Hours of Worship have come to metal, the blurred boundary between the synthetic and the metallic intensifying the cheerlessness. Distorted screams and growls are often the sole voice or duet alongside sung vocals, wrapped in weeping or eerie refrains in ways that variously remind me of Clouds (“You Hold No Value,” “Violent Thoughts are Not Enough”) and None (“True Loathe,” “Resignation”). Dissonance pulls at the corners of several of the primarily mournful melodies, led by odd key arrangements and layering of guitar and synths. This peaks in mid-album “Solace,” a collaboration with Psywarfare, whose disturbing electro-noise meets Hours of Worship’s ambience for an experience akin to a darker, much more frightening version of Bong-Ra. Stepping not once out of a funereal somnambulation, compositions progress to a soft, minimalist beat and let the lamenting melody lead; suspended animation is replaced with a smarter use of liminal space and a realised sense of build.

In Resignation’s particular blend and evolution of the act’s musical strands, Hours of Worship have found their truest and most wretched expression. The characteristic intoxicating sullenness of minor melodies, gently swaying grooves, and apathetic cleans is deepened to dangerously opioid levels. Refrains are yet more direly lugubrious and gorgeous (“Resignation,” “The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”), and there’s considerably more depth to their trajectories that layer synths and guitars for dreamlike (“Lower than Want,” “Bury Me in Deep Waters”) and emphatic (“You Hold No Value,” “The Weight Beneath”) effect. Hours of Worship use rhythm to accentuate these themes, dropping the beat (“You Hold…,” “Resignation,” “Bury Me…”) or just the percussion (“The Weight Beneath,” “Violent Thoughts…”) out suddenly, syncing vocals with scales and chimes with purring feedback pulses to the tempo of the album’s ebbing heartbeat. Loathe is a perfect addition, her haunting singing striking the balance between apathetic and despairing, channelling the canny rhythms through listless repetitions (“The Weight Beneath”). She acts as a foil to the morose cleans and agonised growls of her masculine counterparts who often go together in a baleful duet (“Resignation,” “Violent Thoughts…”) or snarl in almost defensive cruelty (“You Hold No Value,” “Solace”) while she laments alone in open vulnerability (“Lower than Want,” “The Weight Beneath”).

Relative to its style and subgenre, Resignation is compelling. Kindred spirits of myself and Hours of Worship, who love the gloom, shouldn’t have any problem with getting in an appropriately receptive mood, but this time the more involved and better developed compositions are likely to lure some previous naysayers to the graveyard. Baleful and melancholic in the majority, the album is but slightly weakened by the almost uplifting melody of closer “Abattoir Heart.” The brutal “Solace”—though powerful in how confrontationally dissonant and unsettling it is, also sticks out a little too much for comfort—as though comfort were really Hours of Worship’s concern. Despite these reservations, Resignation flows assuredly and strangely enough feels very consistent, with no lapses in the magnetism of the melodies or the misery.

Hours of Worship may have seemed like an act that wouldn’t evolve beyond the particularly languid lugubriousness of the Death & Dying duology. Yet they step into a new chapter here with a nuance and depth that add meaningful layers to already bottomless woe. Resignation may not be formed quite right to deliver a killing blow, but never have they come so seductively close.

Rating: Very Good2
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Worship the Dead
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: July 10th, 2026

MOONSPELL (Portugal) presenta nou EP: "Far from God and Other Spells" #Moonspell #GothicMetal #Abril2026 #Portugal #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Lord of the Lost – Opvs Noir Vol. 1

By ClarkKent

Chris Harms has been in the music business since 1999, but it wasn’t until founding Lord of the Lost in 2007 that he seems to have found his home. I say this not because I am familiar with him or the band, but because Harms has released ten full-length albums, three orchestral albums, four live albums, and one compilation since forming Lord of the Lost. Probably Lord of the Lost’s biggest claim to fame is their participation at Eurovision in 2023, representing Germany, where they unfortunately placed last in the final round. But wait, isn’t Eurovision for pop music? Why are these guys being covered on Angry Metal Guy? Apparently, they’re metal enough to sign to Napalm Records and also have toured with KMFDM and Iron Maiden. And now with Eurovision in the rearview mirror, Lord of the Lost look to return to their darker roots with Opvs Noir Vol. 1, the first in a planned trilogy.

Lord of the Lost play Rammstein-inspired industrial metal with a gothic tinge and pop beats. Synths typically dominate the mix, but occasionally the guitars take over on heavier cuts like “Damage” and “Lords of Fyre.” What surprised me most was the variety of sounds on Opvs Noir Vol. 1, from the folk-y instruments on “Lords of Fyre” to the use of symphonics throughout. The chants, organs, and strings on cuts like “Moonstruck” evoke Fleshgod Apocalypse, and they often bring a cinematic touch, which is appropriate given the musicians’ penchant for elaborate costumes and makeup. On top of this already grandiose blending of genres is a touch of hip hop, most apparent on “Bazaar Bizarre,” where Harms semi-raps over rhythmic beats. While these descriptions might scare many of you off, this is actually a lot of fun. The songs are catchy and the mix of styles means you never know what you’ll get from track to track.

Anchoring the music is the performance of Harms, as well as the choice of collaborators throughout Opvs Noir Vol. 1. Harms has an undeniable charisma–his voice has a dark, sexy tenor that fits perfectly in either pop or heavy metal. He reminds me of Billy Idol and that dude who sings “Blue Monday.” Harms also tries on some occasional death metal growls, and while his voice isn’t as brutal as those more practiced in the style, they’re effective in the few instances he uses them. Aiding Harms is a well-curated mix of collaborators, from the obscure to the more well-known. Notably, Within Temptation performs a duet with Lord of the Lost on the slow tearjerker, “Light Can Only Shine in the Darkness,” where Sharon den Adel’s soft lilt contrasts nicely with Harms’ deeper resonance. Probably my favorite is a collaboration with cellist Tina Guo on “Ghosts,” though the catchiest chorus belongs to “Lords of Fyre,” performed with fellow Napalm-signed Germans, the power metal band Feuerschwanz. 1

Lord of the Lost make very few missteps on Opvs Noir Vol. 1. The 11-song record clocks in at a tidy 44 minutes, though it’s almost eerie how many songs come in at the 3:40 mark. While they largely play to a traditional pop structure, Lord of the Lost also succeed on the more progressively-structured “The Things We Do For Love,” which weaves from soft piano to heavy Eisbrecher-inspired riffs to hip hop to a chorus that absolutely nails it. Yet a few tracks keep this from being yet another 4.0 notch in my belt. “The Sadness in Everything” ruins a talented performance by Anna Maria Rose by having her sing a melody that sounds an awful lot like “This is Halloween” from A Nightmare Before Christmas. The finale also veers into self-parody when Harms sings “Twinkle twinkle brittle star” like a dramatic re-imagining of the classic children’s tune. These moments may be small, but they do undermine the album’s conclusion.

Opvs Noir Vol. 1 is a very good start to this planned trilogy. Don’t let the pop tag scare you away. Lord of the Lost has some quality songwriting–the performances and collaborations should be enough to interest anyone who is a fan of industrial metal, symphonic metal, or even power metal. This is yet another Napalm act, like Warkings, where the songwriting improves on older material–at least that which I’ve sampled from both bands. Yes, that material is well-polished, poppy, and catchy, but it’s a ton of fun and a welcome break from the bleakness of death and doom metal.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Site
Releases Worldwide: August 8th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Aug25 #BillyIdol #Deathstars #Eisbrecher #Feuerschwanz #FleshgodApocalypse #GermanMetal #GlamMetal #GothicMetal #IndustrialMetal #IronMaiden #KMFDM #LordOfTheLost #NapalmRecords #OpvsNoirVol1 #Pop #PopMetal #Rammstein #Review #Reviews #Stimmgewalt #SymphonicMetal #Warkings #WithinTemptation

DARK PRINCESS (Rússia) presenta nou àlbum: "Иллюзия темноты" #DarkPrincess #GothicMetal #Rock #Juliol2025 #Rússia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

GOOT (Rússia) presenta nou single: "Negative Life" #Goot #GothicMetal #Juliol2025 #Rússia #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

WITCHCRAFT (Rússia) presenta nou single: "Я шторм" #Witchcraft #ProgressiveMetal #GothicMetal #Gothic #AlternativeRock #Juliol2025 #Rússia #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

We enter January under the impression that our underpowered filtration system couldn’t possibly get any more clogged up. Those blistering winds that overwhelm the vents with an even greater portion of debris and detritus pose a great challenge and a grave danger to my minions. Crawling through the refuse as more flies in all william-nilliam, my faithful lackeys brave the perils of the job and return, as they always do, with solid chunks of semi-precious ore.

And so I stand before you, my greedy little gremlins, in a freshly pressed flesh suit that only the elite like myself adorn, and present January 2025’s Filter finds. REJOICE!

Kenstrosity’s Fresh(ish) Finds

Bloodcrusher // Voidseeker [January 9th, 2025 – Barf Bag Records]

The sun rises on a new year, and most are angrier than ever. What’s a better way to process that anger than jamming a phat slab of brutal slamming deathcore into your gob, right? Oregon one-man-slammajamma Bloodcrusher understand this, and so sophomore outburst Voidseeker provides the goods. These are tunes meant not for musicality or delicacy but for brute-force face-caving. Ignorant stomps and trunk-rattling slams trade blows with serrated tremolo slides and a dry pong snare with a level of ferocity uncommon even in this unforgiving field (“Agonal Cherubim ft. Jack Christensen”). Feel the blistering heat of choice cuts “Serpents Circle ft. Azerate Nakamura” or “Death Battalion: Blood Company ft. The Gore Corps” and you have no choice but to submit to their immense heft. Prime lifting material, Voidseeker’s most straightforward cuts guarantee shattered PRs and spontaneous combustion of your favorite gym shorts as your musculature explodes in volume (“Slave Cult,” “Sanguis Aeternus,” “Blood Frenzy”). If you ask me, that sounds like a wonderful problem to have. As they pummel your cranium into dust with deadly slam riffs (“Malus et Mortis ft. Ryan Sporer,” “Seeker of the Void,” “Earthcrusher”) or hack and slash your bones with serrated tremolos (“Razors of Anguish,” “Methmouth PSA”), remember that Bloodcrusher is only trying to help.

Skaldr // Saṃsṛ [January 31st, 2025 – Avantgarde Music]

Virginia’s black metal upstarts Skaldr don’t do anything new. If you’ve heard any of black metal’s second wave, or even more melodic fare by some of my favorite meloblack bands like Oubliette, Stormkeep, and Vorga, Skaldr’s material feels like a cozy blanket of fresh snow. Kicking off their second record, Saṃsṛ, in epic fashion, “The Sum of All Loss” evokes a swaying dance that lulls me into its otherwordly arms. As Saṃsṛ progresses through its seven movements, tracks like the gorgeous “Storms Collide” and the lively “The Crossing” strike true every synapse in my brain, flooding my system with a goosebump-inducing fervor quelled solely by the burden of knowing it must end. Indeed, these short 43 minutes leave me ravenous for more, as Skaldr’s lead-focused wiles charm me over and over again without excess repetition of motifs or homogenization of tones and textures (“From Depth to Dark,” “The Cinder, The Flame, The Sun”). Some of its best moments eclipse its weakest, but weak moments are thankfully few and far between. In reality, Skaldr‘s most serious flaw is that they align so closely with their influences, thereby limiting Saṃsṛ‘s potential to stand out. Nonetheless, it represents one of the more engaging and well-realized examples of the style. Hear it!

Subterranean Lava Dragon // The Great Architect [January 23rd, 2025 – Self Release]

Formed from members of Black Crown Initiate and Minarchist, Pennsylvania’s Subterranean Lava Dragon take the successful parts of their pedigree’s progressive death metal history and transplant them into epic, fantastical soundscapes on their debut LP The Great Architect. Despite the riff-focused, off-kilter nature of The Great Architect, there lies a mystical, mythical backbone behind everything Subterranean Lava Dragon do (“The Great Architect,” “Bleed the Throne”). Delicate strums of the guitar, multifaceted percussion, and noodly soloing provide a thoughtful thread behind the heaviest crush of prog-death riffs and rabid roars, a combination that favorably recalls Blind the Huntsmen (“The Silent Kin,” “A Dream of Drowning”). In a tight 42 minutes, Subterranean Lava Dragon approaches progressive metal with a beastly heft and a compelling set of teeth—largely driven by the expert swing and swagger of the bass guitar—that differentiates The Great Architect from the greater pool of current prog. Yet, its pursuit of creative song structure, reminiscent of Obsidious at times, allows textured gradations and nuanced layers to elevate the final product (“A Question of Eris,” “Ov Ritual Matricide”). It is for these reasons that I heartily recommend The Great Architect to anyone who appreciates smart, but still dangerous and deadly, metal.

Thus Spoke’s Likeable Leftovers

Besna // Krásno [January 16th, 2025 – Self Release]

It was the esteemed Doom et Al who first made me aware of Slovakia’s post-black group Besna. 2022’s Zverstvá was charming and moving in equal respects, with its folky vibe amplifying the punch of blackened atmosphere and epicness. With Krásno, the group take things in a sharper, more refined, and still more compelling direction, showing real evolution and improvement. The vague leanings towards the electronic play a larger role (“Zmráka sa,” “Hranice”), but songs also make use of snappier, and stronger emotional surges (“Krásno,” “Mesto spí”), the polished production to the atmospherics counterbalanced sleekly by the rough, ardent screams and pleasingly prominent percussion. Krásno literally translates as ‘beautiful,’ and Besna get away with titling their sophomore so bluntly because it is accurate. Melodies are more sweeping and stirring (“Krásno,” “Oceán prachu,” “Meso spí”), and the integration of the harsh amidst the mellow is executed more affectively (“Hranice,” “Bezhviezdna obloha”) than in the band’s previous work. Particularly potent are Krásno’s subtle nods and reprises of harmonic themes spanning the record (“Krásno,” “Oceán prachu,” “Mesto spí”), recurring like waves in an uplifting way that reminds me of Deadly Carnage’s Through the Void, Above the Suns. Barely scraping past half an hour, the beautiful Krásno can be experienced repeatedly in short succession; which is the very least this little gem deserves.

Tyme’s Ticking Bomb

Trauma Bond // Summer Ends. Some Are Long Gone [January 12, 2025 – Self-Released]

Conceptualized by multi-instrumentalist Tom Mitchell1 and vocalist Eloise Chong-Gargette, London, England’s Trauma Bond plays grindcore with a twist. Formed in 2020 and on the heels of two other EPs—’21’s The Violence of Spring and ’22’s Winter’s Light—January 2025 sees Trauma Bond release its first proper album, Summer Ends. Some Are Long Gone, the third in a seasonally themed quadrilogy. Twisting and reshaping the boundaries of grindcore, not unlike Beaten to Death or Big Chef, Trauma Bond douses its grind with a gravy boat full of sludge. Past the moodily tribal and convincing intro “Brushed by the Storm” lies fourteen minutes of grindy goodness (“Regards,” “Repulsion”), sludgian skullduggery (“Chewing Fat”), and caustic cantankerousness (“Thumb Skin for Dinner”). You’ll feel violated and breathless even before staring down the barrel of nine-and-a-half minute closer “Dissonance,” a gargantuanly heavy ear-fuck that will liquefy what’s left of the organs inside your worthless skin with its slow, creeping sludgeastation. I was not expecting to hear what Trauma Bond served up, as the minimalist cover art drew me in initially, but I’m digging it muchly. Independently released, Summer Ends. Some Are Long Gone is a hell of an experience and should garner Trauma Bond a label partner. I’ll be hoping for that, continuing to support them, and looking forward to whatever autumn brings.

Iceberg’s Bleak Bygones

Barshasketh // Antinomian Asceticsm [January 9th, 2025 – W.T.C Productions]

My taste for black metal runs a narrow, anti-secondwave path. I want oppressive, nightmarish atmosphere, sure, but I also crave rich, modern production and technically proficient instrumental performances. Blending the fury of early Behemoth, the cinematic scope of Deathspell Omega, and the backbeat-supported drones of Panzerfaust, Barshasketh’s latest fell square in my target area. The pealing bells of “Radiant Aperture” beckoned me into Antinomian Asceticsm’s sacred space, a dark world populated with rippling drum fills, surprisingly melodic guitar work, and a varied vocal attack that consistently keeps things fresh. With the average track length in the 6-minute territory, repeat listens are necessary to reveal layers of rhythm and synth atmosphere that give the album its complexity. A throwaway interlude (“Phaneron Engulf”) and a drop in energy in the second and third tracks stop this from being a TYMHM entry, but anyone with a passing interest in technical black metal with lots of atmosphere should check this out.

GardensTale’s Tab of Acid

I Don’t Do Drugs, I Am Drugs // I Don’t Do Drugs, I Am Drugs [January 27th, 2025 – Self-released]

When you name yourself after a famous Salvador Dalí quote, you better be prepared to back it up with an appropriate amount of weird shit. Thankfully, I Don’t Do Drugs, I Am Drugs strives to be worthy of the moniker. The band’s self-titled debut is a psychedelic prog-death nightmare of off-kilter riffs, structures that seem built upon dream logic, layers of ethereal synths and bizarre mixtures of vocal styles. The project was founded by Scott Hogg, guitarist for Cyclops Cataract, who is responsible for everything but the vocals. That includes all the songwriting. Hogg throws the listener off with an ever-shifting array of Gojira-esque plodding syncopation and thick, throbbing layers of harmonics that lean discordant without fully shifting into dissonance. But the songs float as easily into other-worldly soundscapes (“The Tree that Died in it’s[sic] Sleep”) or off-putting balladry (“Confierous”). BP of Madder Mortem handles vocals, and he displays an aptitude for the many facets required to buoy the intriguing but unintuitive music, his shouts and screams and cleans and hushes often layered together in strange strata either more or less than human. The combined result resembles a nightmare Devin may have had around 2005 after listening too much Ephel Duath. It’s not yet perfected; the ballad doesn’t quite work, and the compositions are sometimes a bit too dedicated to their lack of handholds. But it’s a hell of a trip, and a very convincing mission statement. A band to keep an eye on!

Dear Hollow’s Gunk Behooval

Bloodbark // Sacred Sound of Solitude [January 3rd, 2025 – Northern Silence Productions]

Bloodbark’s debut Bonebranches offered atmospheric black metal a minimalist spin, as cold and relentless as Paysage d’Hiver, as textured as Fen, and as barren as the mountains it depicts, exuding a natural crispness that recalls Falls of Rauros. Seven years later, we are graced with its follow-up, the majestic Sacred Sound of Solitude. Like its predecessor, the classic atmoblack template is cut with post-black to create an immensely rich and dynamic tapestry, lending all the hallmarks of frostbitten blackened sound (shrieks, blastbeats, tremolo) with the depth of a more modern approach. Twinkling leads, frosty synths, and forlorn piano survey the frigid vistas, while the more furious blackened portions scale snowbound peaks, utilized with the utmost restraint and bound by yearning chord progressions (“Glacial Respite,” “Griever’s Domain”). A new element in the act’s sound is clean vocals (“Time is Nothing,” “Augury of Snow”), which lend a far more melancholy vibe alongside trademark shrieking. Bloodbark offers top-tier atmospheric black metal, a reminder of the always-looming winter.

Great American Ghost // Tragedy of the Commons [January 31st, 2025 – SharpTone Records]

Boston’s Great American Ghost used to be extremely one-note, a coattail-rider of the likes of Kublai Khan and Knocked Loose. Deathcore muscles whose veins pulse to the beat of a hardcore heart, you’d be forgiven to see opener “Kerosene” as a sign of stagnation – chunky breakdowns and punk beats, feral barks and callouts, and a hardcore frowny face sported throughout. But Tragedy of the Commons is a far more layered affair, with echoes of metalcore past (“Ghost in Flesh,” “Hymns of Decay”), pronounced and tasteful nu-metal influence a la Deftones (“Genocide,” “Reality/Relapse”), and more variety in their rhythms and tempos, reflecting a Fit for an Autopsy-esque cutthroat intensity and ominous crescendos alongside a more pronounced influence of melody and manic dissonance (“Echoes of War,” “Forsaken”). Is it still meatheaded? Absolutely. Are its more “experimental” pieces in just well-trodden paths of metalcore bands past? Oh definitely. But gracing Great American Ghost a voice beyond the hardcore beatdowns does Tragedy of the Commons good and gives this one-trick pony another trail to wander.

Steel Druhm’s Detestible Digestibles

Guts // Nightmare Fuel [January 31st, 2025 – Self-Release]

Finland’s Guts play a weird “caveman on a Zamboni” variant of groove-heavy death metal that mixes OSDM with sludge and stoner elements for something uniquely sticky and pulversizing. On Nightmare Fuel, the material keeps grinding forward at a universal mid-tempo pace powered by phat, crushing grooves. “571” sounds like a Melvins song turned into a death metal assault, and it shouldn’t work, but it very much does. The blueprint for what Guts do is so basic, but they manage to keep cracking skulls on track after track as you remain locked in place helplessly. Nightmare Fuel is a case study into how less can be MOAR, as Guts staunchly adhere to their uncomplicated approach and make it work so well. Each track introduces a rudimentary riff and beats you savagely with it for 3-4 minutes with little variation. Things reset for the next track, and a new riff comes out to pound you into schnitzel all over again. This is the Guts experience, and you will be utterly mulched by massive prime movers like “Mortar” and “Ravenous Leech,” the latter of which sounds like an old Kyuss song refitted with death vocals and unleashed upon mankind. The relentlessly monochromatic riffs are things of minimalist elegance that you need to experience. Nightmare Fuel is a slow-motion ride straight into a brick wall, so brace for a concrete facial.

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#Deathstars
Termination Bliss
Tongues

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Deathstars+Termination+Bliss+Tongues

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Deathstars-tongues-lyrics

Song Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhaqnlWGtrU

#industrialmetal #industrial #metal #GothicMetal #deathmetal

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#Deathstars
Termination Bliss
Blitzkrieg
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Deathstars+Termination+Bliss+Blitzkrieg
https://genius.com/Deathstars-blitzkrieg-lyrics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeWBD7zHG8o
#industrialmetal #GothicMetal #industrial #metal #Gothic